Shadow In The Light
by OneWhoCuddlesFire
Summary: "Why is Durza so important to you?" he asked me quietly.  When he saw the look of pain in my face, he held me for a while, allowing me to freely shed my tears into his furry shoulder as I silently cried for my loss.
1. Life To The Emptiest

**Okay, so this is my new story, Shadow In The Light. I hope you all like it; please read and review! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Inheritance Cycle...but I do own Ayla :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

"Ayla Sharmila, if you don't get down here right now then I swear, you're gonna get it good!" my father bellowed from the kitchen at the opposite corner of the house. I sighed and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. His threat did nothing to hurry me along; I knew I was 'gonna get it good' many times today anyways, so why rush? With a sigh of impatience, I stood and walked over to the basin of dirty water by my door. The water was freezing, just like the rest of my room. Winter was almost upon us, and my room upstairs was the only one without a source of heat to keep the biting chill away. It didn't really bug me that much anymore; my heart and my skin were of even temperature: Ice cold.

Not wanting to anger my father any further, I quickly dressed in some patchy leather pants and put a homespun wool shirt on that had long sleeves, putting my dirty leather jerkin on over it. I slipped my boots over my bare feet and padded quietly down the hallway to the stairs, making my descent as silent as a mouse. I turned left into the warm kitchen full of delicious smells and went straight to the counter to make a plate for myself. My mother and father were sitting at the table, both quietly eating. My father showed immense impatience, annoyance, and anger while my mother showed that she was oblivious, or uncaring, of the emotions on her husband's face.

As I was making my plate, my father asked quietly "Aren't you forgetting something Ayla?"

I refused to respond and cut a slice of bread in silence. I heard my father's chair scoot back and his feet thudding against the wooden floor as he walked towards me. He spun me around and glared at me as I stood there silently, my face a solid mask of indifference. There was a loud _whap_ as my father smacked me across the face. I could feel the stinging pain of the already-forming bruise, but I didn't dare say a single word.

My father looked me dead in the eye and said quietly "You will always greet your mother and me when you enter the kitchen each morning, and you will apologize for your tardiness. Understand?" he asked.

I nodded and replied mechanically "Yes sir."

He nodded and sat back down at the table, munching at his hot bacon. I finished making my plate and sat down between my mother and my father. I saw my father glance my way menacingly while my mother quietly chewed on some cold fruit. I ate my meal quickly and quietly, not glancing at either of them in the process. When I was finished, I stood and pushed in my chair, going to the sink to wash my plate in the bucket of cold water and dry it with a clean cloth before putting it away.

Without a single word, I walked past the table and in front of the steps to the other side of the big room, going out the front door and shutting it softly behind me. Knowing my father wouldn't allow me to just sit around and wait, I went to the forge and started up the fire, warming up the tools and various metals and checking for any overnight changes in the forgery. Everything was the same as it had always been.

My life was not an easy one. Every day I would wake up at dawn, eat breakfast, and then work the morning away inside the forge with my father while my mother ran the clothing store just around the corner from us. At noon I would eat cold bread and cheese and then go work for Haberth, the man who owned the largest stables in the valley and sired the best horses a man may ever see. I helped him work in the stables with the horses and he would pay me a small amount each day for my service. I didn't earn very much, but I was smart enough to save my money for something important. I had been saving money for years now.

We lived in the small town of Therinsford, near the very end of Palancar Valley. Our town was bigger than our northern neighbor of Carvahall, but it wasn't as docile. Our town was known for its larger businesses and not-so-friendly folk, and for the occasional rough-housing in the local tavern. My father was the biggest man in town, and he had a certain boiling hatred for his only daughter: Me.

My father had always wanted to have sons. When I was born he was overly disappointed, but kept a bright outlook. He figured that he could have one daughter to dote on and a small array of sons to help him work and keep order. However, after I was born we learned that my mother couldn't have any more children. My father never got his wish for sons; all he ever got was me. So he made me grow up more like a boy, making me work early and never allowing me the simple joy of being a child. When I turned eight, he began to get angry and was often violent. It was not uncommon to see me covered in fresh bruises of deep purple, or thick scars that took weeks to heal.

The abuse from my father became a part of daily life, and I knew it would never stop. While this bothered me, I was used to it by now. The bruises were easy to avoid, and the scars never really hurt anymore. At one point in time, my father had considered marrying me off to some stupid man for some reason, but he took one look at me and knew that not even the drunkest of all people would ever take me in. My body was so discolored with bruises and so marked up with cuts and scars that my face would give many children nightmares. Whenever I walked through the streets people would greet me cheerily, but none ever mentioned to my face how afraid and disgusted they were.

They all knew the cover-up story; although they still thought it was the truth. I was apparently a 'naturally clumsy' person, and often injured myself by running into things and tripping over my own feet. That's where they thought my scars came from. Only my family and I knew that they all came from my father. The worst of it wasn't the scars though; it was the burns that people never saw. Whenever my father was really angry with me, he would burn me with the white-hot metal in the forge and leave permanent scars on my arms and back. My body was covered with them, though I always wore the kinds of clothes that made the scars and burns invisible.

As soon as the forge was heated up, I broke out of my reverie and began heating up the base of the long metal sheet that made up the blade part in a sword. While heating that, I poured the molten metals into the base of the scabbard, filling it up most of the way and then sliding the burning metal of the blade neatly into place, pushing it deep in so that when the metals dried it would be strong and sturdy. As I was laying the sword on the rack to cool off, my father walked into the forge with an angry scowl on his face. He glanced over at the sword and nodded once to himself before going to work on other small items the townsfolk would need.

As the morning slowly progressed, a few of the local townsfolk and a few travelers would come in and buy some of our wares or request a special order. When the sun had risen up in the noon sky, we stopped our progress and I ate a cold lunch of bread and cheese while my father went back into the house for some smoked meat. When I finished eating, I stood and walked out of the forge towards the other side of the village, to Haberth's stables. It took me a good fifteen minutes of steady walking, but I eventually made it.

When I entered the stables, the fresh aroma of polished leather, dirty coats, manure, and old hay hit my nostrils. I inhaled deeply; glad to be away from the smell of smoke and searing metals. I walked confidently past the two rows of horses in their stalls, looking for Haberth. I didn't see him anywhere, so I sat down in the tack room and began to clean and repair the equipment. Not much later, I heard someone walking down the aisle of the stables and I continued to clean, listening for the sound of horses being messed with. No thief could ever be silent when they were trying to steal a horse.

After a moment of silence I heard a voice calling "Ayla? Are you here lassy?" I sighed in relief; it was only Haberth. I silently put away the most recently mended and cleaned tack and stood from the bucket I was sitting on, walking out into the main of the stables to see Haberth standing there with his hands on his hips. I kept my face expressionless as I walked past many horses towards him, halting about two feet before his glaring form. It was highly unusual to see a glare on Haberth's face, so I was inertly cautious.

After a moment he cracked a wide grin and said "For a while I wondered if you had dropped out on me. It's good to see ya lass." He said, walking forward a few steps and embracing me tightly. I smiled and embraced him back. Haberth was like the Uncle I had never had, and I was more than happy to spend all my time with him. He always seemed to be cheerful, and I loved working with the horses. I helped him to breed, raise, train, clean, maintain, and look after the horses he kept, along with managing the tack and working around the barn. He was the only one that I dared to tell my dreams and secrets to, and the only person I could ever trust.

Haberth released me and said "Come. We have much work to do today. The horses and tack have to be cleaned, and they each need to be ridden for at least an hour to exercise them. Also, the roan over there needs to get a firmer grip on his manners." He said, his eyes flickering a few stalls up from his left, where a large roan horse was stomping a hoof impatiently in his stall.

I nodded to Haberth and said "I'll see what I can do about him later. For now, I'll let him cook in there until I deem him ready to come outside. Should I tie him to the back bar of his stall sir?" I asked Haberth. He scratched his chin as he thought it over and finally said "You might as well. It may do him a bit of good." I nodded and silently walked to the locked door of the roan's stall. Producing a key from one of my pockets, I opened the stall door and entered, grabbing a rope on the way in. I easily tethered the worrisome roan to a bar in the back of his stall, but once he realized he had been tied up he tried to kick at me.

I got right up next to him and held his snout firmly shut as I looked straight into one of his eyes. "No sir, I will not have you kicking at me. You will behave or I will strap every hoof of yours to the wall so you can't move a single inch. Got it?" The horse reluctantly calmed down, watching me exit the stall with an unfriendly stare. I rolled my eyes at the roan as I locked his door. I stepped back and was about to clean the stall of the stallion that Haberth was cleaning up when I felt a faint buzzing sear through my senses. The result was an instant migraine, and it was so painful that I fell to the ground clutching my head.

Everything was fuzzy and distorted, the colors mixing together and my eardrums exploding with pain. I could faintly hear Haberth's voice calling to me, asking if I was okay. I saw him run towards me and drop his brush, kneeling beside me on the ground. As the pain grew deeper and louder in my skull, I tried to concentrate for fear of the sound ripping me apart. I wasn't entirely sure what it was or what was causing it, but I knew that it couldn't be anything good. The only other time I had felt such immense pain was when I was about five years old, back when I had come into direct contact with the shade Durza.

I remember that confrontation clearly now, even through the searing agony...

_*Flashback*_

_I was a small five-year-old child, and I was standing on the grassy knoll just outside our town of Therinsford. My mother and father had not seen me leave the town, which was good. I didn't want to be in trouble; I just wanted to see what was on the other side of this hill, for I knew it must be something great. And oh, how beautiful it was! A vast distance of grassy plains and yellowing meadows, all surrounded by the lush green forests with the tall mountains looming over them. It was a sight to behold!_

_I had taken off down the far side of the hill, out of the sight of the inhabitants of Therinsford and towards one of the huge yellowing meadows I could see. As I ran and skipped through the meadow, I laughed with pure joy. The freedom of being out from under the gaze of my watchful parents was amazing!_

_As I was running through the center of the meadow for the hundredth time, my laughter cut off abruptly as a searing pain entered through my eardrums and bore through my skull. I felt my mind being practically torn open. I glanced up and kept wondering as I screamed silently, Where was that noise coming from? I looked up and saw the shoes of a person, a man perhaps. Maybe they could help me._

_I looked up into the cold, careless face of the strangest man I had ever seen. His skin was the palest I'd ever beheld, and his crimson hair looked almost like the fire inside our stove! His maroon eyes blinked slowly as I gazed up at his tall features, and a small smile spread across his dark, thin lips. He smirked at me and took another step forward, and as he did the screeching pain increased dramatically. I continued to scream silently, wanting to make it stop._

_It took all my willpower to choke out the words "Help me" to the man. He bent down and gazed into my eyes, but all I saw in his were a deep anger and violence, a lust for pain and blood. He reached out a cold hand towards my forehead and whispered menacingly "I am helping you."_

_The searing pain increased twice-fold when he touched me, and I couldn't even whimper from the excruciating feeling it gave me. His thoughts barged into mine, and he mentally gave me a small pocket of information, and then I knew what he was. A sorcerer almost, but a truly evil one, A shade. He was Durza, and all had the right to fear the very sight of him. As a small child, it was not him that I feared. All that I feared was the searing pain that was scorching through my mind. Never in my five years as a child had I heard of this kind of excruciating pain being caused by a shade._

_Durza straightened back up and I saw a flash of something go through his eyes; pity, it seemed. Grief even. After a long moment of staring down at me in what could only be described as remorse, he fled across the meadow and into the cover of the dark trees. As he disappeared from sight, the searing pain left my mind and I was free of its agony. I sat up slowly and glanced around, looking for the shade. Where had he gone? Was he the one who caused all this agony?_

_I spent the remaining hours of that day searching through the forest for Durza, wanting to talk to him and find out where the excruciating pain had come from. Was it his doing? Was he helping me to escape the pain? I had no notion._

_After that day, I had never been the same again. I was always silent and brooding, digging into books and focusing on only the smallest details. I had no care for spending time with people who wouldn't understand, and pain held a new meaning for me. I always wondered why I was different, and when I did I would remember the pain. And then I knew._

_I was alone._

_*End flashback*_

Seeing the memory play once again through my mind brought a sharp sense of clarity to me, and I realized that this might mean the return of the Shade, of Durza. I still had so many questions to ask him, even though it had been ten years since I last saw him. My memory of our encounter had not faded in my mind as the other memories from my childhood had. It was now that I realized that Durza may have been behind the pain.

_Either that_, I thought to myself, _or whatever did cause the pain before has returned. Either way, I intend to find out what it is._ With that thought in mind, I struggled to stand back up, determined to follow the pain to its source. I could faintly see Haberth, but I paid no attention to him. My focus was on the pain, and where it was coming from. I stumbled out of the barn and followed the increasing pain to the other side of Therinsford, back towards my home. As I got nearer, I began to smell it.

Smoke.

I opened my eyes a little further through the pain and saw a house not far from me up in flames. With a small shock, I realized it was my house. I stumbled towards it, trying to keep my balance and consciousness. As I neared the flaming house, I noticed others trying to hold me back. I paid no attention to them, and managed to gain enough sense of mind back to fight them all off. The screeching sound was getting louder and higher in pitch with each step I took.

As I kept walking forward, I noticed people had disappeared for the most part. They were all huddled farther back, watching me with fearful eyes. Many made a sign against evil on their chests, ushering their children and wives backwards to the other side of the village. I continued to stumble forward, only stopping when I was right in front of the burning house. The door had been ripped off and many things inside were visible through the fire, some upturned and out of place.

I glanced backwards at the retreating crowd and saw the tallest head was not missing from the masses. _So my father is alive, and probably my mother too_ I thought to myself silently. I continued to stare at the house, trying to force the pain back down, but it flared up brighter and more painful than ever before. I fell to the ground, clutching my head in pain. For what felt like a lifetime, I lied in the dirt and writhed in agony.

The heat from the fire was slowly edging towards me, and I could feel as it began to softly touch my arms, the heat travelling through my shirt to my skin. I didn't even try to move out of the heat's path, but simply lied there as agony ripped through me.

Finally, my hazing vision caught sight of something different. Someone was walking towards me. I felt the brief touch of cold hands and saw a pale blurred face before unconsciousness took over and I plunged straight into the welcoming darkness.


	2. A Hint Of Light

**Chapter Two**

When I began to awake from the dark embrace of unconsciousness, the first thing I noticed was that I was no longer lying in the dirt outside of my burning home, but that I was lying in a bed of soft grass deep in the dark and quiet forest. All the animals seemed hushed, as if holding their breath expectantly. I slowly raised my head and allowed my eyesight to adjust to the dark forest. As I waited for my faint head rush to end I began to sit up and felt a thin but strong hand push me slowly back down. I heard a faint whisper telling me "Don't try to sit up just yet. Rest for a while longer."

The whispering voice held a catch in it that was unfamiliar, one of sympathy. One that held grief, despair, worry, remorse, and even a gentle sense of care in it. The soothing quality of the voice lulled me into a deep but peaceful slumber that helped to restore my energy and clear my mind.

When I once again awoke, I noted that I was still lying in the soft grass in the deep shadows of the woods. The animals were quieter around here, more subdued. I slowly opened my eyes to the dimmed sunlight. I mentally sighed in relief as I realized I was surrounded by a soft hint of darkness. The sun always seemed to be too bright for me.

I looked around the clearing and saw a small campfire smoldering in the center of the clearing with some meat cooking slowly over it. A few other utensils and bits of meat lay scattered around the campfires edge. There was a pair of sturdy-looking warhorses tethered at the other end of the clearing, their tack lying at the base of a large rowan tree in an organized pile. Not too far away from me on my right, there was a small backpack lying there that was half-open. It wasn't close enough for me to reach it, but I glanced in and could see my small bag of coins and my spare change of clothes.

I heard someone, or something, else in the clearing breathing. It wasn't the horses, that was for sure. Whatever it was, it was very close to me. I glanced to my left and saw Durza sitting cross-legged on the soft grass next to me. His eyes were gently closed shut and he appeared peaceful in a strange way. My mind recoiled slightly from the picture.

_Shades are never peaceful or calm_, I thought to myself in confusion and shock, _They're always cold and calculating, always showing malice or distaste or a lust for blood and pain and death! But to see one sitting there so peaceful, in a way very similar to the elves...that's impossible._

My mind slowly wrapped around the idea of a peaceful Shade, recalling the events I had when I encountered him. He had seemed remorseful, all those years ago. And he must have been the one to take me away from the searing pain when I lay in front of my burning house. When I awoke the first time, it was his gentle whisper that had lulled me back into a peaceful sleep. It was his soft touch that had pushed me slowly back down.

I stared up at the Shade, at Durza, with only mild confusion and clear curiosity. After a few very long minutes of my gaze penetrating into him, the Shade let out a long sigh of relief and opened his eyes, his maroon gaze meeting mine instantly. For a while we neither moved, but simply stared at one another. Our gazes were connected as emotions passed between us, his relief and surprise versus my curiosity and wonder.

After a long moment the Shade glanced away in what almost seemed to be shame and apprehension as he quietly asked me "Are you not disgusted or afraid of me?" His voice was hovering on the edge of a whisper, his tone cautious and worried, yet I sensed a bit of hope in it too.

"Not in the slightest bit." I replied quietly. He glanced back over at me, hope lighting up his features. Without another word, he stood and went over to the fire, turning the meat on the spicket and poking at the embers to bring on more heat. When he finished with that, he went to check on the horses, looking them over for anything unusual.

As he went about something similar to a routine, I watched him without fear or worry. Only a faint amusement and a burning curiosity, filled with an unusual wonder. Never in the history of Alagaesia had a shade acted like this before. Never.

As I watched, the Shade suddenly stopped and stiffened, and he bent over as if fighting an unbearable pain. It seemed almost as if his entire body was fighting against him; an inner battle was taking a physical effect on him. I quickly got up from the grassy bed and ignored the head rush that threatened to make me black out again. I stumbled over to Durza and grabbed his wrist softly, not knowing what I was doing nor why. I just knew that he needed my help. Suddenly, I could feel the strength and energy being pulled out of me and into Durza's form, coming to his aid.

I noticed him begin to straighten as he began to take control over his inner battle. I could suddenly feel the battle inside of him, and how the dark spirits were trying to force him to re-submit to complete control of theirs. To turn his mind back into that of a complete shade. When I realized this I thought in a voice that, if it were spoken aloud, would be considered yelling, _Not a chance!_ I sent more of my spirit and energy into Durza's slim form, giving him strength to quell the beastly spirits.

As Durza began to take control of the fight, I noticed that my strength was steadily ebbing away. Durza, in the middle of his inner battle, seemed to notice this too. His eyes reopened and he looked as though he were in excruciating pain. He and I both sank to the ground as he continued to fight and I continued to help him. I started to chant to myself in my mind, my inner voice growing steadily louder and louder.

_I will not die from these spirits, I will not die from these spirits, I will not die from these spirits, I Will Not Die From These Spirits, I Will Not Die From These Spirits, I Will NOT DIE From These Spirits, I WILL NOT DIE FROM THESE SPIRITS!_

When my mind screamed that thought, I began to feel a huge power swelling within me. The Shade must have felt it too, for he glanced at me sharply, surprise covering his face. I could feel a white light radiating out from my core, causing my eyes to glow bright silver and an aura to surround me. The aura stretched out to cover the Shade as well, and the light seemed to fill his entire being. A fierce and very painful scream tore out of his lips as the light probed deeper within him, seeming to converge on his blackened soul.

I realized that was where the spirits were lying in wait, battling the shade's inner consciousness for control over the body. The Shade's original owner was trying to escape, but why? Rather than try to figure it out, I applied my strengths to the light, focusing on using its energy to burn out one of the dark spirits residing within Durza. I used the white tendrils of light to grab hold of a particularly dark spirit and cocoon it in the light.

I then used the light like a snake and constricted the darkness until the light completely destroyed all traces of it. Once that was done, the power of the light receded, its mission accomplished. One of the many dark spirits that had recently inhabited Durza was now vanquished. Victory had been temporarily achieved.

When the white light had completely receded, I felt my energy completely disappear and fell back into the grass, my mind passing out as my last tendrils of thought clung to whispering the one thought. _Durza, Durza...Durza...Duurrzzzaaaa..._.

_My mind was full of images, never getting the chance to truly rest in peace. As I watched, bits of light erupted in my mind, each with a memory that wasn't my own. They each flooded my mind, one after another as they fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. As the puzzle was being completed, I began to see it taking on the shape of a story. I could see Durza, still a young boy living as a nomad with his parents on the empty plains when he and his family were cast out of their tribe. They called his father "oath breaker"; only it was not Durza then, but Carsaib..._

_I watched in helpless pain as his parents were murdered but he was left alive, crying over their grave and cursing their murderers for keeping him alive to suffer. How he fled away into the desert, begging for death. Being found on a lonely sand dune by who was to become his mentor, and his friend. The man who trained him and guided him to power. I watched as bandits came and killed his mentor Haeg in the night, and how he called upon the spirits for revenge. Spirits that were far stronger than him, and took possession of his mind and soul._

_And now, I have freed him from the chains of one of those spirits._ I felt immense relief. Then I mentally tensed. How different will he be when I once again awaken?

I pondered the different possibilities as I slumbered on, since my mind seemed free to wander. _Will he be kind, gentle, and sweet? Will he be grieving, remorseful, and upset? Will he be merciless, cold, and dangerous? Will he show me pity or shame? Will he be joyous or angry? Shall he be coldly indifferent and pretend nothing happened, or will he be in wondering awe of the change within himself? _So many questions, and the more I thought about it the harder they were to answer. I knew the answer could only come with time.

As that thought was passing through my head, I felt consciousness begin to reappear as I was brought back into the waking world. I'm not sure how long the transition between the two worlds took, but when it was over I felt as though an entire lifetime had passed. I began to feel again, and man did it _hurt_!

I opened my eyes to see the dark tree tops above me. I could easily see in the darkness surrounding me thanks to the glowing fire in the center of the campsite. I tried to sit up and two hands caught my shoulders to help me slowly rise to a sitting position. A major head-rush went through my system and I almost fell back over, but managed to stay sitting thanks to the two sturdy hands keeping me up. When the head-rush had passed, I glanced behind me and saw Durza sitting there on his knees, his face covered with worry. When he saw I was somewhat alright, he gently released his hold on me and stood, walking around to my front and sitting with his legs crossed again.

He put one cold clammy hand to my forehead and frowned slightly, but he didn't say a word. He slowly trailed the hand down to my cheek and held it there for a moment, staring deep into my eyes as if he were looking for something important. After a long moment he blinked and quickly dropped his hand back into his lap, glancing over at the fire as a means of distraction. I watched him for a moment in complete puzzlement before an idea hit me.

_He hasn't lived without that dark spirit for so long that he doesn't know how to act or behave anymore. _I realized with a small shock. Then a small smile covered my lips as I thought of how good this must be for him. It's a chance for him to start over; a new life with a new beginning, and a whole new set of rules. My smile grew quickly.

Durza turned to look back at me and saw my smile. A look of confusion grew slowly on his face and I quietly giggled. He raised an eyebrow at me and when my giggles grew louder he smiled. _A Shade smiled, and it wasn't menacing at all. That's unheard of._ I bit my lip as I smiled and turned to look away, unsure of what to say. I glanced back at him and my expression grew solemnly serious again as I asked "How are you feeling?"

The Shade pondered this question for a moment before he replied in a whisper "Very different."

I nodded slowly, gauging his expression. He gave nothing away, so I asked him quietly "How does it feel to be without that spirit?"

The Shade exhaled loudly and said in a voice just above a whisper "It feels very good, as if I have more control." I began to smile, but his serious expression slowed me down. "However, I know that my current control will not last for much longer, so I need to get you out of here quickly. If I give you a horse and some supplies, do you have somewhere you could flee to?" He asked me, his gaze nearly begging.

I thought back for a moment to what my father had told me about our neighboring town of Carvahall and its inhabitants. I knew one of them would take me in and keep me a secret from anyone outside of their village. I nodded silently to the Shade.

He sighed in relief and then said quietly "You don't have to leave yet, but you must disappear from my sight by the end of the week. I can hold the spirits back for no longer than a few days. In the meantime, you need to recover." He said this all with a faint hope in his eyes, but the moment he said 'recover' a fierce anger covered his gaze. I began to puzzle this as Durza looked away, hatred in his eyes. Hatred for what though, I wondered?

Durza looked back at me and stroked my right cheek softly, his gentle touch lingering on the large hand-shaped bruise there. I sighed to myself, remembering the slap my father had given me that morning. Durza's anger was visible in his eyes, but it disappeared swiftly when he looked away from the bruising and up into my gray-tinted blue eyes.

He moved his hand down my cheek to my neck, resting it there for a moment as something in his gaze seemed to shift, almost unnoticeably. I tried to figure out what the change was when Durza dropped his hand and stood up, still watching me. My eyes followed his movements as he turned away and went to the fire, pulling some meat off of the spicket and placing it in a small wooden bowl, bringing it back to me. I ate the warm food gratefully, feeling as though I hadn't eaten for days.

"How long have I been out of it?" I asked him. He watched me eat in complete silence for a moment longer, gauging my reaction.

"When I rescued you from the fire, you slept for a day and a half. After you vanquished the dark spirit that was once within me, you slept for three and three-quarter days. Your body has been completely worn out." He told me in a soft whisper.

I nodded silently as I absorbed the information, eating the food I was given with a ravenous hunger. When I was finished, I felt satisfied and had a little more energy than before. I sat up a little straighter and watched with attentive eyes as Durza put the bowl back by the fire and checked on the horses.

I sat in silence, thinking about how strange it would be to spend the remainder of the week in Durza's company. I considered that it could be strange and awkward, but the thought quickly faded from my mind. I was curious, and I wanted to learn. In many ways, my mind was very similar to that of a shade. Absorbing information in the quiet hours of the night, or walking with silent steps among people which held no particular meaning to me.

At least we had a few things in common, and maybe more than that.

Durza sat down in front of me again, breaking my train of thought for a moment. I looked up at him and saw him watching me with a careful expression on his face. After a moment he took a deep breath and said "Tell me what happened before I found you outside your home."

I thought about it for a moment, choosing my words somewhat carefully in order to spare his feelings a bit. "The usual morning routine went on, until I got to Haberth's stables. I work there in the afternoons and get a small pay for it. While I was there, a sudden burst of pain hit me. The only other time I'd felt it before was back when I was five, the day I met you." The Shade flinched when I said that, but I ignored him, "I followed the pain to my house, and when I was there I fell to the ground. Then you came and got me." I summed it all up, watching him unsurely for a moment.

Durza sat in silence for a moment before asking in voice that was tinted with rage "Do you call _this_," he began, gesturing to the hand-shaped bruise on my cheek, "a part of your usual morning routine?" he asked, his voice filled with a growing anger. He was shaking slightly, as if resisting the urge to get up and break something.

I sighed and nodded, watching as he became more furious. His leg muscles tensed and he began to stand up. I grabbed both of his hands in mind and he suddenly came up short, stopping in the peak of his anger to look down at my solemn gray eyes. I gently tugged at his two pale hands and he slowly sat back down, seeming to be much like a small child in need of comfort.

"Don't let that worry you; it will never happen again. Killing my father would not solve anything, and it would never erase what he has done. Don't leave me here alone Durza, please." I whispered the last part, my eyes begging as he gazed at me in silence, his emotions hidden.

After a long moment he sighed quietly and released one of my hands, trailing it from my temple down to my cheek. His gaze probed into mine as he stroked my cheek, filled with a small sense of happiness and peace. He calmed down swiftly, and gazed into my eyes with a strange emotion, one I'd never seen before. As I tried to riddle it out, Durza pushed my hair back out of my face, watching me with that strange emotion.

I tried to place it, but came up empty for a long moment. Finally I discarded the notion of solving the mystery in his dark maroon eyes, which now showed a tinting of gray in their features.

_Gray eyes,_ I thought to myself, _kind of like me. Everyone else's eyes are brown, or maybe even green. But his original eye color may be gray, or even a light blue._ I thought to myself in a kind of trance, staring into the tendrils of gray that were hidden in his maroon eyes. The Shade and I stared at one another for a long time, thinking silently to ourselves.

After a time, Durza reached out a hand as if to stroke my cheek again, but instead dropped it down at his side as he stood up. My eyes followed him as he stood, curiosity in their features. What was he doing now?

Durza held out both of his hands to me, and I stared up at him in confusion. "You need to start using your muscles again, or else they'll grow weak and frail." He explained in a quiet voice. I nodded and placed my two small pale hands in his slightly paler ones, allowing him to help me stand. Luckily, my legs supported me instead of giving out.

I tried to take a step, but one leg couldn't support me long enough, so I stumbled. Durza caught me to keep me from falling, and his hold was surprisingly tight and strong. For some reason, his thin and lean form made him look much weaker than he truly was.

Durza helped me to stand up straight and then take one step at a time, always catching me before I could fall. After a few decent steps, he released his hold on me, walking close so he could catch me if I stumbled again. I took a few off-balance and strange steps before I faltered again, but Durza still caught me. After that, I was able to walk without stumbling if I walked slowly.

Durza walked beside me, and I glanced over at him in curiosity to find him already staring at me. His gaze was intense in many ways, and I saw hope lighting his every movement. As my strides became swiftly stronger and more confident, the Shade's hope seemed to blossom.

I watched Durza just as he watched me, and then I quickly looked away. I knew now that a faint blush was covering my cheeks, though I wasn't sure why.

When we had circled the campsite a couple of times, Durza followed me to the bed of soft grass and helped me to sit back down. He sat beside me, watching me silently. I lied back and stared up at the branches of the trees, and I felt Durza's shoulder brush against mine and stay there as he lied down beside me, our shoulders touching ever so slightly.

I yawned quietly, staring up at the branches as drowsiness began to overcome me. I felt Durza shift slightly, and I glanced over to see him lying on his side watching me. I gazed into his dark maroon eyes with their newfound traces of gray within them before sleep overcame me.


	3. Farewell Comes Too Fast

**Chapter Three**

When I awoke, the first rays of sunlight were just beginning to appear through the thick branches of the trees. I kept my eyes closed as I breathed in Durza's unique scent, unable to compare it to anything else. I could feel Durza running a hand softly through my hair, and I also noticed I wasn't exactly lying in that bed of grass anymore. I was lying on Durza's chest, and a blanket was on top of me. I realized that Durza must have done this some time in the night to keep me warm and comfortable.

I hummed in satisfaction to myself quietly for a short moment, feeling a sudden hesitation in Durza's movements. He began to slowly move his hand away from my head and shift a little before I murmured "You don't have to stop." After a moment's hesitation, Durza made himself comfortable again and began to stroke my hair, the repetitive movement causing his muscles to relax.

After a while of the two of us just laying there in a comfortable silence, Durza began to hum quietly to himself. The tune was very soft and slow, and Durza's rich voice caused the notes to flow smoothly through the air. The song reminded one of a time of peace and quiet, but held an edge of longing sorrow to it, a sorrow I couldn't rightly place. Durza hummed quietly to me for a while as he continued to stroke my hair, and soon he began to add words to his repeating tune.

_What stays alive_

_With darkness around_

_There is not a single sound_

_Ever darkness_

_Encased in my soul_

_Until a light paid the toll_

_Wind and light_

_Thoughtful silence_

_Revealing life_

_Revealing life_

_**(To the tune 'Pippin's Song' from the third Lord of the Rings)**_

As Durza sang, I listened to his words and closed my eyes. Durza's soft voice brought life to his gentle and sad song, but yet I foresaw a bright light of hope shining in the future.

When Durza stopped singing, I could sense a slight tenseness in the air, and I realized he was waiting for my approval. I permitted myself a small smile as I opened my shadowed eyes to the misty morning. Seeing the Durza's hand was scant inches from mine, I reached out and slipped my fingers between his, holding his hand as I lied there. I felt him tense for a moment, then felt him softly squeeze my hand. I squeezed softly back, and he relaxed with a sigh of relief.

I smiled to myself and moved a bit so that I was more comfy, snuggling into Durza's chest and breathing deeply as I relaxed.

We stayed that way for most of the morning, neither needing to eat or sleep or move. When the sun had risen higher in the sky, Durza pushed me up a little so that he could slide out from under me, laying me back down on the grass with the blanket. I sat up slowly and watched Durza start cooking breakfast for me, since a Shade didn't need to consume food or water to survive.

As I watched him, I smiled to myself. Some part of me felt connected to Durza, and it always had. Suddenly, I remembered my burning curiosity, and I had a million questions to ask him. I waited and watched Durza cook some meat on the spicket, turning it occasionally. When he was simply sitting there and waiting for it to cook, I asked him quietly "Why do you not eat?"

He glanced over at me in some confusion and with a far-away look in his eyes, as if I'd just pulled him out of a trance. "A shade doesn't need food or water or rest to survive. Since we're full of dead spirits, we live much as they do. The dead don't need to eat or sleep; they simply exist. We are the same way." He answered, turning the meat again.

"If that's the case, then is there any limit to your energy or magic source?" I asked him. He nodded after a moment.

"Yes. We have no limit on energy, but we do have a limit on how much magic we can use. Magic is the only thing that takes any effect on the body, and we become weaker if we use more magic than we should. While we can't die from using too much magic, we can still be killed." He explained. I nodded slowly.

"What was it about you that caused me such excruciating pain all those years ago, and again a few days back?" I asked him. He sighed and walked towards me, sitting in front of me in his usual cross-legged style.

He took my hands in his as he spoke to me, and his voice was just above a whisper, often growing softer and then louder again as he spoke.

"The dark spirits within me saw that your soul had a light within it, a light that could harm them if you somehow learned to use it. So, they tried to destroy the light within you. To do that would be to destroy your very soul, and to leave you empty. It's a terrible process. I've never met anyone else with a magic like that within them, but the dark spirits somehow knew what to do. It was them who led me to you when you were so young. They could sense you from the other side of the continent.

"When I realized what the spirits were trying to do, I felt remorse. I had been through something similar when I'd received these spirits, so I took pity on you and fled. Something within me changed that day, something grand. My mind began to take control over the spirits, and I began to fight them. All for you. Some strange part of me wanted to change and return to you, though you were only a small child at the time. I had to stop myself from running to you, incase the spirits escaped me and harmed you again."

"And they did." I said quietly. He nodded.

"And they did." He repeated. "But you must understand, it has been many many years since that first encounter, and I felt sure I could restrain the spirits long enough to see you, and maybe even talk to you. The spirits went rabid when I got to Therinsford though, and they caused me to burn down your home so that they could kill you, but you surprised them. You weren't inside. When you appeared outside of your home later, I took one look at you and was able to fight the spirits back down for control.

"I took you to a safe place to help you heal, and so I have. When you destroyed one of the dark spirits within me, I gained amazing control and flexibility, though the other two spirits are still strong. They're stronger than the one you destroyed, but they're also not as cruel as the last one was. That small little fact may give me the control I need to overthrow them once and for all, but I know I can't do it without you. The spirits will never leave me unless you destroy them." He concluded, watching me with mysterious eyes.

"Such a prophecy." I murmured to myself. "I will do what I can to vanquish the spirits, but I fear I may be too weak to do anything about it right now." I told him sheepishly. He smiled softly at me.

"I know that you're weak, but the white light strength will return much faster when you are away from me. Sometime in the future, we shall meet again, and you shall be able to free me once more. I just hope you catch me on a good day in the future; if you catch me while I'm under the control of the spirits then you may die." He said sadly, looking down at his lap. I gently squeezed his hands, which were still clasped in mine.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I won't be totally defenseless anyways; I'll probably receive some training while I'm away, and then I can defend myself until I get close enough to you to help free your soul once more." I told him, smiling. He permitted himself a small smile for a moment before he sighed again.

"But, Durza," I said quietly, my voice dropping down into a whisper as fear overtook me, "Please promise me that you'll be careful and not get hurt when I'm away. I mean, if anything happened to you-"Durza's gentle hand over my mouth silenced me.

He gazed into my eyes with a gentleness that seemed impossible in the eyes of even the purest of elves, and he whispered softly "Hush Ayla. Nothing will happen to me, I promise. I'm too strong for anyone to harm me, even the almighty Galbatorix. Just promise me the same." He said.

I nodded as he dropped his hand from my mouth. The shade then stood and went over to the campfire, tearing off some meat and placing it in another wooden bowl, returning with the bowl, half a loaf of bread, and a water skin.

I ate my meal in silence, trying to ignore Durza's probing gaze. After I'd eaten, he said quietly "You may have to leave sooner than I thought. The spirits are giving me much difficulty now, and control is slowly slipping away. You may have to leave tonight." I nodded silently, sorrow filling me up.

Durza tilted my chin up, making me look at him. He then moved his hand to my cheek, holding my face softly between both of his hands. For a while he just stared at me, his face closer to mine than usual. Almost as if by moving closer he'd be able to look through my eyes and see all the way to my soul. Suddenly he froze and pulled back, lifting his nose to the air. An inhuman hiss came from between his lips, and the Shade quickly stood and started chanting words to himself.

After a long moment he released the spell and his magic shot from his hands, creating a dome of dark light around our encampment for a moment before fading away. If I stared long and hard enough I could see the faint ripples and sparkles in the air where the dome had been and knew that the spell was still there.

I was about to ask a question when Durza put a finger to his lips and whispered "It's a shield for silence and invisibility. People are searching the area nearby on horseback, and I'd rather not be found. Stay quiet; they're getting close." He ordered. I nodded and sat up straight, looking around the clearing with an attentive gaze.

After a quiet minute, I began to hear people moving around nearby us on horses. It sounded like four horses, which meant four riders. The horses were tired; their steps staggered every so often, and their labored breathing was easy to hear. The men were hacking at the branched and bushes with swords, and they were all talking quietly to each other. As they got closer, their voices were very clear to me.

"Are you sure you saw a fire out here Ganel? It was probably just some traveler." One man scoffed to another.

"It was no traveler; travelers move on after the night is up. This campfire has been here for a few days, and that means something suspicious. We're betting it's Darvin's little girl, ain't that right Darvin?" the second man, Ganel I presumed, asked.

A third man spoke. "Yes, I think it is. She probably left the kettle on the heat for two long and caught fire to something. She probably ran away out here so she wouldn't get caught, but I know she's still alive. She's out here somewhere, and she's not alone." The third man, Darvin, told them.

"I still think it's folly." The first man muttered.

"Shut up Terris, before Darvin decides you're of no use to him anymore." The fourth man hissed at the first. Terris scoffed.

"Oh please Margle, I'm no threat to him. He knows I just love to complain." Terris told him, laughing.

"Be silent." Darvin ordered. "If she hears us coming because of your confounded laugh, we'll never find her. Now let's hurry; she must have gone up over the next hill." Darvin said. The men rode away at a gallop, their tired horses wheezing in exhaustion as the men pushed their mounts harder up the huge hill.

When all trace of sound had faded from them, I let out a sigh of relief. Durza glanced over at me in confusion.

"That was my father, Darvin. He's looking for me, and if he ever finds me he'll probably kill me." I grimaced. The shade glowered in the direction of the four men, but he didn't make a move after them.

"He won't find you, that I can promise." After a moment he relaxed and sat down beside me. Without any hesitation or a single word, Durza pulled me into his arms and held me close to him, holding me in his warm embrace as he breathed in my scent and I breathed in his. We sat there together for a while, wrapped up in each others arms. With Durza, I realized with a slight shock, I felt safe.

As the day progressed, Durza and I did very little until sunset, simply talking to each other or laying side by side. Often for no particular reason at all, Durza would stroke my cheek or wrap me in his arms, just as I would hold his hand or snuggle into his chest for no obvious reason. We simply enjoyed the comfort and safety of each other's company.

As night began to fall, Durza turned to me and said "You need to eat, and then be on your way. My control has been slipping further away all day, so you need to flee soon. Are you strong enough?" he asked me. I nodded to him, and he nodded once back.

Durza leaned in and gathered me up in his arms, rising to his feet and holding me as though I weighed no more than an infant calf would. He carried me to the fire and sat me down beside it, handing me a plate with some roasted meats on it and saying "Eat quickly, for you will have to leave soon. I can't fight the spirits for much longer."

I nodded and ate my food quickly and quietly as Durza set about saddling the two warhorses he had tethered in the clearing. After he had them tacked up, he cleaned up the supplies around the campsite. I saw him pick up the small backpack and slip something small inside, quickly closing the zipper and walking towards me. I set down the plate to indicate I was done and he handed me the small bag. I slipped it onto my shoulders as Durza picked me back up and carried me over to the dark brown warhorse that was waiting patiently for its rider.

He set me up in the saddle and pushed my feet into the stirrups, handing me the reigns as he told me "I shall ride south to Utgard and then continue onto Uru'baen. Am I to assume you shall head north into Carvahall?" he asked. I nodded silently, unwilling to speak yet. He stopped his hurried movements and leaned in close, holding my face between both of his hands. "Let us pray the dark spirits left residing in me don't know where you go to hide, and that only my true self shall remember clearly, for I want you to be safe. Please don't let yourself be killed; you're more important than you know."

That last bit had almost sounded like a prophesy, one that I felt I should know. Like a song you try to remember but can't quite grasp onto. I nodded and felt the tears beginning to well in my eyes as I looked at him. This was a goodbye already, and I wasn't ready for it. However, I knew he was right. If there was any chance of us meeting again without my death being the result, I would have to run and hide. I reached out one tentative hand to his face, placing it on his cheek and staring deep into his eyes.

"Be safe Durza." I whispered quietly, my gaze saying a million words.

Durza nodded in silence for a moment before whispering "You too." Then he stepped back and straightened, saying in a louder voice, "We will meet again Ayla Sharmila, that I can promise. Farewell." He smacked my horse and the charger took off into the woods, heading north towards Therinsford and towards what would soon become my new home in Carvahall.


	4. Suspicious New Neighbors

**Chapter Four**

_"Ayla, why do you run? You know it's pointless. The spirits will remember, and they will find you. They will use your sweet Durza to kill you and rip you apart..." The darkness whispered as it closed in around me. I struggled against it and tried to find a way out, but to no avail. It closed in, muttering and laughing in its wickedness._

_"Yessssss...you know he will not forget, and he knows it too. You could see it in his eyesss! Better turn back and give yourself up now, or diiieeee... It is no use to hide. WE will find you and WE will kill you. And if we don't, you will only kill yourSELF from going insane!" The evil creatures laughed darkly, their presence making me want to scream._

_I needed to find a way out of my own mind! I was trapped in here with these foul creatures, and I had no doubt that they were right about everything they said. But I must keep fighting! I will not allow myself to die! Durza wanted me to live!_

_I fought and fought within myself, trying to gain control of the inner battle with the darkness that was attacking my mind and very soul. Suddenly, I felt the white light begin to erupt again. The dark creatures shrieked in fear and pain and fled away to hide, leaving me in my own spectral peace. I looked around, for I could once again think clearly. A shadow of a shape was approaching me slowly._

_It was an elfish woman with long white hair in flowing white robes inlaid with gold, silver, and sapphire threads. She held out an open hand to me and I took it hesitantly. She pulled my spectral form to my feet and whispered in a voice older than time and penetrated deeper into my soul than the very spirits could have gone._

_"Ayla Sharmila, it is your willpower and strength that must be used to overcome the darkness that surrounds you. You are filled with The Light, and it will guide, guard, and serve you for as long as you are bound to its power. However, exercise caution. Those whom you think are your friends may become foes later in time, only to become those who you must save regardless. Your fate is already twined with the higher figures of the future, though they themselves don't yet know it. Guard yourself well Ayla, and trust none but the ones your soul calls to._

_"Do not forget to keep your wits about you, and keep your faith. Don't let despair control your thoughts, for it may very well kill you. When it comes time for you to save the True One from the Eternal Darkness, you will have to choose between the ultimate sacrifice of your life, or the sacrifice of your eternal heart. The choice will be yours and yours alone. Also, do not be fooled by those who seem so caring of you. Caution will be your friend for now. Stay safe Ayla Sharmila, and I shall visit you again soon. Farewell."_

_The woman raised a soft palm in goodbye and disappeared into the light surrounding me. I blinked a few times and willed my soul to return to my body within the waking world._

I awoke with a start, blinking and looking around wildly to get a grip on reality. As my vision started to clear, I realized I was lying in my bedroll within the woods between Therinsford and Carvahall. My dark brown warhorse, whom I had decided to name Karnus, was tethered to a large branch and my equipment was all laid out. I rose stiffly and took a swig out of my water skin, drinking deeply. With a sigh, I stood and walked over to the small campfire I had created in my fatigued form last night when I arrived.

I stirred up the fire and added a few more pieces of wood, huddling closer to the heat to keep the biting chill away. I opened my pack and pulled out a piece of cold meat, chewing on it quietly. I looked around the misty clearing and deemed it to be nearly sunrise. I spent the next ten minutes cleaning up the campsite and saddling my horse, storing everything away.

Once I had cleaned everything up, I put my forest green cloak about my shoulders and put out the campfire, hoisting myself into the tall warhorse's saddle. With a flick of the reigns the steed was charging off through the woods. I slowed the excited horse down and approached the edge of the trees at a cautious walk. My horse's ears flickered forwards nervously, and I waited.

After a moment, Karnus' ears laid back against his head in anticipation and anger, and he snorted loudly. I coaxed him into a gentle walk to get out of the trees and to see what all the commotion was about.

I peered around when we got onto the road and didn't see a soul in sight. I glanced at my warhorse in confusion, but he was pawing at the ground angrily, looking ready to charge at a certain spot down the road. He tossed his head back in forth and whinnied shrilly, his temper getting the better of him. I stroked his side calmly and looked to where he was staring. At that moment, the sunlight came up over the trees just enough for me to see something down the road glint. It was the reflection of the sun on steel.

_An ambush_, I thought to myself. Great.

With a sigh of annoyance and anticipation, I looked down at my warhorse who had turned his head to look back at his rider. I gave him a small nod as I stared into his dark chestnut eyes and whispered "Get us through there safely Karnus, please."

My warhorse tossed his head eagerly and stepped out onto the road, pawing at the ground as he prepared to charge. I laid a soothing hand on his side and flicked the reigns slightly. Karnus eagerly jumped into a trot, his ears swiveling as he listened for any other ambushers than the one we had seen. When half of the distance between us and the ambush had been covered, I flicked the reigns again and Karnus charged forward, jumping into a surging gallop that felt like flying. His hooves scarcely touched the ground.

Right as we were about to pass the hiding spot of the ambusher, a twig snapped on our left and I glanced over with a shock. There was more than one, and they were going to box us in. I thumped my warhorse in the sides with my heels and he leaped into the air, landing with a loud _boom_ on the ground and then surging forward again with incredible speed. I held on tightly to his mane as we sped past the ambushers. A few arrows were fired at us, and each one missed us by centimeters. I caught a foul stench in the air and knew at once what was attacking us.

_Urgals! Blast, why didn't I think of that sooner?_ My warhorse was now charging through the other end of the box in fear, trying to make it out quickly now that he knew it wasn't just men. The smell or Urgals often brought fear to a horse. That fear, along with my unwavering trust in my warhorse, made Karnus fly faster than the eagles as he raced down the road and out of sight of the Urgals. When we had traveled a safe distance away, I slowed Karnus to a stop and we stood in the middle of the road, his heavy breathing filling the steamy air.

I climbed down from my saddle and stroked his side, willing him to calm down and relax. When my horse had calmed down, I patted his side affectionately and said "That was some amazing running you did back there Karnus. Thank you for saving me. Did those Urgals frighten you so much?" I asked him quietly.

My warhorse gave a vicious shudder and closed his eyes, opening them again to look at me and make sure I was okay. I smiled and fed him a bit of oats I had in my pocket, scratching his ears as he chewed.

"Thank you Karnus. Shall we be going then?" I asked him as I walked to his side to get back into my saddle. My horse eagerly stomped a hoof and raised his head up and down eagerly. I laughed and said "You big fool!" I laughed again and got back into my saddle as we set off at a brisk canter down the road.

It took until around noon for Karnus and I to reach Carvahall, and we both met the sight with relief written all over our faces. For a moment I smiled and thought _I shall finally have a place to stay and work and live my life again._ But then caution took control as I remember the white-haired elf maiden's warning. With an unreadable expression on my face, I tapped Karnus into a gentle trot as we made our way up the road to Carvahall.

As we entered through its open archway entrance, I looked around and saw how small this place truly was. Houses and businesses sat side by side in a carefully arranged order, and the streets were kept well and tidy. Children were running around in front of their homes and wives watched them carefully from their doorsteps as they knitted and sewed. The men were working in the shops and forgery, which I passed with a shudder.

People were walking around from place to place, getting what they needed and selling what they had. Everybody knew everybody, and since nobody knew me I was the hype of the gossip as I rode past on my warhorse.

"These are some fairly suspicious folk, I'd say." I whispered to Karnus. His ears flicked back as he listened to me and he snorted in annoyance at the look someone gave us as we rode past. Riding through the small streets, we came upon a place that had a sign hanging outside of it that said 'Morn's Tavern'. I rode up to the front at a walk and hopped off of my warhorse, tying him to a post even though I knew it was unnecessary.

I looked Karnus in the eye and said quietly "Stay here and wait for me Karnus, and don't let anybody try to steal you. If they get too interested in how tightly your rope is tied, scare them off somehow, but don't kill them. Understand?" My horse gave me a long stare before whinnying quietly, his ears laid back as he stood up a little straighter. I smiled and stroked his mane and whispered "Good boy." before turning around and going into the tavern.

As I walked inside I had to stand a moment in the doorway to wait for my eyes to adjust to the gloom. The tavern was well kept, with neat round tables and sturdy wooden chairs. The counter was clean and polished, and mugs were hanging on the back wall. There was a man behind the counter polishing one of the mugs, and I assumed him to be Morn. There were a few others in the tavern as well, and they all glanced up as I walked in.

There were two men talking in whispers in one of the corners, a heavy-set man with his feet on a table to my right, and to my left there was an old geezer snoozing quietly, dripping drool onto the table. The bar was empty, so I went and sat in one of its high stools and was given a curious look by Morn.

"Good day Madam, my name's Morn. What can I get for ya?" He asked in a fair voice.

"Just a mug of ale would be suitable, thank you." I replied, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. He nodded and finished cleaning the mug in his hands before turning around and filling it with ale from the keg behind him. He turned again and placed it on the bar in front of me. I took a grateful sip, glad to have something other than water and cold meat hit my throat.

Morn leaned forward onto the bar as he polished another mug. "So young Miss, where are you heading from?"

I took another sip before replying "I'm from Therinsford. My house was burned to the ground not too long ago, and I only managed to get away. I came up here hoping to find a place to stay for a while. Do you know anyone that could help me?" I asked him softly, trying to make my situation sound hopeless.

Morn scratched his chin for a moment and said "Well, there are a few people that may be willing to take you in if you'll do them a bit of service. If you want, you could go see my wife about finding you a place to stay. She always seems to know everybody's business." he said, rolling his eyes slightly.

I grinned a little. "I suppose that gets a bit annoying, doesn't it?" I asked him.

He nodded and smiled a little, saying "Just a bit, but you get used to it. If you'll wait here for a minute, I'll go fetch her and see what we can do for ya."

I nodded and took another sip of ale as Morn turned and went through a closed door at the other end of the bar. I stayed in my chair sipping my drink for a couple of minutes, listening to the two people whispering in the corner as I awaited Morn's return. One of them had his hood up so that his face was shadowed, and he sounded agitated.

"I'm telling you, there's something dark brewing in the South. I heard there was a fire in Therinsford the other day that killed a young woman; terrible way to die." I gulped quietly. They were talking about ME. So I was presumed dead was I? That could be used to my advantage. The other man spoke then.

"So what? Houses burn all the time, it's just a part of life." he argued, scowling at the shadowed man. The second man who spoke looked to be in his early thirties, with short black hair that seemed a bit unruly. He had a very serious face and blazing brown eyes above his hooked nose. He glared at the cloaked man and glanced over at me, though I continued to sip my ale in obvious peace and oblivion.

The cloaked man leaned in further. "No, I don't think this was some random fire. There was reported to be a Shade moving through that area, the shade Durza. I think he caused the fire in order to eliminate that girl, and he succeeded. He's killing innocents without reason now. What's next? He'll ravage our entire village if he keeps moving north!"

The dark-haired man scowled and leaned back in his chair. "That's nonsense! Just because a Shade is moving around up here doesn't mean he caused her death. No, if I know of Durza it is that he's probably moved along South by now. Shades have no business up here." The other man began to slowly nod, accepting his words.

Just as the other man was beginning to speak again, Morn returned with his wife in tow. When she saw me she caught her breath and said quietly "Oh, you poor dear." I mentally grimaced when I realized she wasn't looking at my eyes, but at the large hand-shaped bruise mark on my face and the fresh burns on my arms.

Morn put an arm around his wife and said "Young miss, this is my wife, Tara. She'll be showing you around Carvahall and helping you find a place to stay." I nodded quietly and offered a hand for her to shake. She had a firm grip as we clasped hands and she gave me a small smile. Tara was a tall and slim figure, with long black hair that had some gray strands running through it. Her face, however, was open and friendly. She walked around the bar and waited for me to pay Morn for the ale.


	5. Meeting Men

**Chapter Five**

After I'd paid, I got down out of my chair and joined her. As we were about to walk out with her arm around my shoulder I asked her quietly "Out of curiosity, who are those two men in the corner?"

She turned her head to see who I meant and then glanced back at me. As we were walking out the door, she said "The one with the hooked nose and dark hair is a man called Brom. He's the village story-teller, and a strange person to have in your company. The man he was talking to was a traveler that had come to visit him from some other village outside of Palancar Valley. Why do you ask dear?"

She took her arm off my shoulder as I went to Karnus and stroked his side, checking to make sure everything I had brought was still there. "They were talking about me and I was just curious. Apparently, the word has spread that I died in that fire, and I think I'd rather keep it that way. If anybody asks, tell them that my family was slaughtered by Urgals down in Yazauc. I came here to hide and seek shelter. The second half is true at least." I told her as I patted Karnus' side.

She nodded slowly, giving me a strange stare. Karnus caught her stare and laid his ears back flat on his head, baring his teeth at her and snorting in distrust. I rubbed his side again and asked him quietly "Did anyone give you trouble?" My warhorse gave me a silent look that practically said _Are you kidding me?_ I smiled and patted his side affectionately before untying his reigns from the post.

Tara gave me a searching gaze and said "You'll need housing for that horse too, which means you probably won't do so well here in town. You'd be better off living on one of the farms nearby. In fact," She said, a light filling her eyes with a sudden thought, "I know the perfect place for you to be. It won't seem very suitable for you to be living in a home with three men and no women, but you look strong enough to manage it. Do you think you could do that?" she asked. I nodded silently. After living the way I used to, anything else would be a haven.

"Good. Now it's quite a distance off, but with that strong horse of yours you should be fine. It's the farthest farm in the valley, and it's owned by a man named Garrow. He, his son Roran, and his nephew Eragon live there as farmers. They could use a woman around the house to keep things moving along, and another helper in the fields would do them some good as well." She said matter-of-factly. I nodded in silence again.

"You don't say very much, do you dearie?" she asked in a quieter voice. I shook my head silently, looking down at my feet. Karnus nudged me and I looked up into his sympathetic gaze. I glanced away from him and back at Tara who was waiting patiently.

I sighed and climbed up into my saddle, holding the reigns tightly and looking down at Tara.

She sighed and said "Now, can your horse support both of us out to the second farm in the valley? A man named Thane lives there, and I'll bet he can loan me a horse so I can go explain things to Garrow for you." I nodded and offered her a hand to help her up, but she declined and hoisted up on her own. She sat just behind the saddle and wrapped her arms around my waist loosely.

"Hold on tight." I warned her as I flicked the reigns. Karnus picked up an automatic trot as he wound through the streets and out of Carvahall, towards the majority of the farmland. When we reached the second farm, I guided Karnus in and avoided the crops that were waiting to be picked, going towards a man that was standing by the stables hollering at a couple of teenaged boys that were to be seen inside. I came to a halt near the man and he turned to give us his searching gaze as Tara got down from the large warhorse.

"Tara! Good t' see yuh lassie. What're you doin' so far from th' village?" the man asked her in a rough voice. She glanced back at me and explained my situation to the man, using the cover-up story I had created when I met her. The large man looked around her at me in some surprise and a little sympathy.

"Come down 'ff yer horse lass, I don' bite." He said, his gaze a mystery to me. I hopped down off of Karnus, who was giving the man a flat, unfriendly stare. I patted Karnus' side and stayed close to him, feeling very shy all of a sudden.

"Come clos'r child, there's no need t' be 'fraid. Nobody 'ere is gonna hurt ya." he said, beckoning me forwards. I took slow steps their direction, feeling like a frightened deer. When I reached Tara, she wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders as she faced the man with me.

He scrutinized me carefully before holding out a hand for me to shake and saying "Th' name 's Thane. Who migh' you be?" I shook his callused hand and gauged him silently for a moment.

"My name is Ayla, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you." I told him quietly. Tara gave me a small encouraging smile and Thane nodded before releasing my hand. He then turned to Tara and said, "So, ya be needin' a horse? You can borrow ol' Tinker. She'll get ya t' where ya need t' be."

He then turned and hollered for one of the boys. He poked his head out of the barn door and listened as his father told him to saddle up the horse for Tara. The boy quickly disappeared, but then peaked back out at Tara and me when Thane wasn't looking. I glanced over at him and stared for a moment until he went back inside. I then backed out of Tara's arm and stayed next to Karnus, stroking his mane.

While the boy was saddling up the horse inside, the two others came out of the barn to peek at me. I sensed their stares and glanced over at them, which seemed to encourage them to come out and actually talk to me. I wasn't afraid of them really, but I was still a little shy. The two boys came up and I judged their appearances equally.

The first boy appeared to be about sixteen, and he had curly, straw-colored hair and a lot of freckles. His eyes were a dull brown and his nose was severe over his thin lips. He was about four inches over five feet tall, and he was as thin as a twig. He had a friendly face, though it was roughed up by years of hard labor. His brother seemed to be much the same, except he looked about two years younger, about three inches shorter, and had a mass of dark brown hair that was in tangles.

The older looking one came up to me and shook my hand, saying "Hi there. I'm Jaren, and this is my little brother Kallen. That's a mighty fine horse you've got there." he said, eyeing Karnus with approval and a little mischief. Karnus bared his teeth at the boy and took one side-step closer to me, keeping me in close guard. I fisted my left hand up into his mane as I replied.

"I'm Ayla, and this is my horse Karnus. You probably should get back to working before your father gets upset with you." I warned them, seeing Thane looking at us out of the corner of his eye.

"Psht, that old man? He probably doesn't even realize that you have a horse next to you instead of an old mule. I doubt he'll notice us at all." the older boy said, winking at me. Just at that moment, Thane caught their attention.

"I though' I told yuh boys t' work on th' framework in th' barn! The ne' time I catch yuh two 'lacking off I'll switch ya good!" He yelled, his voice loud and gravelly in the afternoon air. The two boys quickly scurried away, not even bothering to say goodbye. As they were hurrying into the barn, the other boy came out leading a sad looking mare in an old set of tack. He handed the reins to Tara and joined the other two boys back in the barn without giving anyone a second glance.

Tara mounted the old mare and was thanking Thane as I climbed up into my saddle. Tara and I rode off together, going South on the road towards Garrow's farm. After thirty minutes or so of steady riding, which would have been much faster if it were just Karnus and I, we made it to the farm.

The place was uniformly run-down, though probably the neatest they could make it with the money they had. They had row upon row of crops in their fields, and had the protective forest surrounding it all. They had a small barn with a bunch of chickens, a cow, and a pair of old horses sitting inside. There appeared to be a pen for a pig as well, but there wasn't a sign of any recent inhabitance.

At the back of the property was a small timber house. The timbers had been glued together securely and were supporting a thatched roof. The front door stood wide open, and as we started down towards the stables and around the crops towards the house a man walked outside. He appeared to be about thirty-five, and had little in the way of fat and more in muscle due to hard labor. He was somewhat short and had darkly tanned skin from long hours under the sun, and his intense eyes gazed out from under thick brows. He welcomed Tara heartily, but kept a cautious eye on me when we approached.

"Ayla, this is Garrow, the man I told you about. Garrow, this is Ayla. She had a tragedy strike her recently and is the sole survivor of an Urgal raid down in Yazauc. I was hoping she could stay with you a while until she's back on her feet with some money and a few more years under her belt." Tara explained to Garrow. I sat patiently on my horse as Karnus kept a close eye on Garrow. He trusted Tara a little, but all these new strangers were worrisome.

Garrow considered this for a very long moment before turning to me and asking "How old are you child?"

I sat up straight in my saddle at being spoken to and automatically replied "I'm fifteen, sir."

"A bit formal aren't you? Come down off of that horse; I want to get a good look at you." I complied silently, going to stand beside Tara. Garrow got a good look at me before sighing and saying "Well, I suppose she could stay here for a while. It might be nice to have a woman around the house to make the boys grow up a bit more." He cast an amused eye out towards the field where two distant voices could be heard.

Tara smiled and said "Thank you Garrow. I expect her to come visit me from time to time so I know you fellows are being fair." she said, winking in my direction. I smiled at her.

"Thank you for all the help Tara. It was much appreciated." I said, smiling shyly at her. She smiled back and got up in Tinker's saddle, riding off with a wave of her hand.

As she disappeared onto the road and out of sight, Garrow turned to me. "It's nice to meet you Ayla. I'll help you with your horse and then we'll find some room for you. After that I might set the wild beasts on you!" he laughed and I really smiled. I was going to like it here.


	6. Weird Boys

**Chapter Six**

Garrow walked with me to the barn, trying to help me ease out of my somewhat automatic formality. I put Karnus in a stall and took off all his tack in record time, laying it on the half wall that separated Karnus' stall and the empty one next to him. I untied my saddle bags and told Garrow I was ready. He carried half of the bags for me and I didn't argue, though I felt I was being rude by not carrying my own things.

Garrow led me back to the house and I waited for him in front of the door, silently seeking permission to enter. He saw the look on my face and a smile broke out when he realized what I was waiting for.

"If you're going to be staying here a while then you might as well get used to just walking right in. This is your home now too." He said. I gave him a small half-smile before I opened the door and stepped into the dimly sunlit room. I took one look around and wondered how they had survived so long without a woman in the house.

The left half of the big front room was the kitchen, and the table, stove, counter, and sink were all overflowing with stuff. There was moldy bread on the table, dirty clothes over the chairs, and half-full cups of milk in the sink. It was a complete pigsty! The right half of the room was the living room, and it was only marginally cleaner than the kitchen. The couch and chairs were piled with items, and the low table was covered in all sorts of dirty tools. The fireplace had ashes spilling out of it from too much time passing without a proper cleaning.

I turned to give Garrow a look that said _You have got to be kidding me_. He gave me a sheepish grin and then offered to move Eragon into Roran's room so I could take his place. I politely declined, telling him I'd rather sleep on the couch closer to the fire. Garrow gave me a searching gaze before telling me to make myself at home, claiming he was going back out to the fields.

The moment he walked out the door I flopped down on the couch with a sigh of relief. _Finally, no one else is around. I could drop the façade_.

After a few moments I took a deep breath and got back up, getting to work straight away. I started by cleaning up the kitchen, putting each object in its respective pile before I went to washing dishes and throwing out old junk. I washed and mended the clothes and put them in folded piles next to the hallway so that the boys could sort through them when they came back inside.

Once I had cleaned up the kitchen, which was a much simpler task then I'd originally thought it to be, I worked on the living room. I started with cleaning out the fireplace. I scrubbed the inner walls, swept the ashes out the door, and broke the old wood down into mulch at the fire's base. I mentally reminded myself to go chop some fresh wood before nightfall set.

After the fireplace was clean I went to the work tools. I put them all in a large bucket and carried them over to the sink, spending over an hour scrubbing off the dirt and grime and worm guts that had covered the metal ends of the shovels and picks. I polished the wood ends to a shine and then laid them all neatly on the small table until I figured out where else I was supposed to put them. I turned to go work on something else and then stopped, seeing a small basket sitting by the front door. With a shrug, I placed all the tools gently inside of it and nodded approvingly to myself, getting back to cleaning.

Next, I worked on organizing the items that had gathered in the two chairs and on the floor around them. There were a few books, some more food and clothes, a small collection of rocks and different types of wood, and some broken arrows. As I was about to throw out the small collection of wood and rocks, I stopped my hand. These were beautiful rocks, not just common trash. I realized that one of the boys must be a collector in such small items, so I placed them in a neat little pile on the counter.

I sorted the books and placed them in a neat stack against the far wall in the living room, putting them in alphabetical order and reminding myself to read some of them later, for I loved books. I washed and folded the remaining clothes, adding them to their respective pile by the hallway before glancing at the sofa. The couch was covered in dust and dirt, and could use some deep cleaning before I slept on it tonight. I heaved a great sigh and got to work scrubbing off the dirt stains and polishing the wood framing. I kept the door open to let the winter air in to dry out the couch cushions.

Once that was done, I surveyed my handiwork. The main room was completely clean, and I felt immensely proud of myself. I glanced out at the afternoon sun and figured I had another hour until sunset. I decided to get to work on dinner for the boys, thinking a good meal would help to make a better impression than cleaning up the house. I looked through the cabinets and finally found one where ingredients for bread was, and also found some salted meats hanging out back. I found a small pan of rice that hadn't been cooked yet, so I added that to the meal as well.

I set a pot on the stove full of water to boil, lighting a flame under the metal. As the water began to heat up, I worked on kneading dough into actual bread, putting it in a pan to cook and rise. I salted the meat a little more and then left everything lying on the counter, going outside to chop some wood for the fireplace so that I could start cooking. I found a small axe imbedded in a tree stump and assumed this was where I was supposed to chop wood. Glancing over at the side of the barn, I saw it was unnecessary. Freshly chopped wood was waiting for me there. Smiling, I picked up a few pieces and carried them back inside, oblivious to the eyes that watched me from within the fields.

I placed most of the wood within the fireplace, lighting it and quickly putting a spicket with the meat on it over the flames. I put a couple more pieces of wood inside the stove and put the bread dough inside to start rising. My pot of water was already boiling, so I dumped in the rice and a bit of butter and started mixing.

Within the next hour, the bread had nearly risen and the meat was almost fully cooked. The rice had been pulled off and placed into a bowl, being kept warm by a small flame when I could hear the tramping of feet coming up the dirt path from the fields to the house. I glanced out the open doorway into the sunset's shadows to see three men walking my way. Smiling to myself, I checked on the food and decided to wait another minute before pulling anything out. I let my rust-colored hair down from its clipped-up style and let it wave around my shoulders, all the way down to my waist.

As the boys came in, I didn't even have to glance at them to know they were covered in dirt and dust from the windy afternoon. "Go wash your hands and arms in the sink before sitting down at the table. Dinner will be ready in just a moment." I told them, keeping a fixed eye on the bread. The smallest, and probably youngest, boy shrugged and did as I had requested, quickly followed by the other two.

As they were cleaning up, I watched them from the corner of my eye. The smallest boy seemed to be about my age, with intense brown eyes shadowed by dark eyebrows. He had smaller, stringy muscles that made him seem smaller and weaker than he really was. His nondescript clothing was worn from work, and consisted of a long-sleeved tan cloth shirt and long leather pants. His hair was a short tangled mess of slightly curly blonde-brown hair, and he wore plain workman's boots. Although he couldn't tell that I was watching, he kept glancing over at me in hidden surprise. I easily stifled a smile.

The older boy was a bit different from the younger one. This one looked more like Garrow, only much younger and quite a bit thinner. He had well-built muscles on his torso and arms, and his semi-long face was dark and serious. He had a mass of hair much like the younger boy did; only his was in varying shades of dark brown. He wore the same type of clothing as the other boy did, and had brown eyes that watched all movement with careful attachment. He glanced over at me almost as often as the younger boy did, though his was less noticeable.

As the boys finished cleaning up, I put four plates on the table, one on each side, and put the bowl of ready rice on the left side. I pulled the hot bread out of the oven and doused the flame, putting the bread on the right side of the table. I carried a small platter over to the large fireplace and slipped the ready meat off of the spicket, putting it on the platter and carrying over to the table, setting it in the center. Without saying a word to anyone, I sat down and began to prepare a plate for everyone, putting even amounts on there but leaving extra on the table in case they wanted more. I gave myself very little food, since I wasn't ever really hungry.

The boys all came to sit at the table and add more food to their plate, eating in complete silence for a while. The only sound to be heard was the crickets outside the now tightly-shut door and the horses and chickens down in the barn. The sound of forks scraping on plates and quiet munching were barely noticeable in the silence. At one point, the younger boy burped loudly and the other two glared at him silently. I stifled my laughter, but a small giggle somehow managed to escape. They all glanced sharply at me and I chuckled quietly, eating a piece of bread.

And just like that, the tense atmosphere dissolved around us as we became more comfortable. The older boy chuckled a little at the younger one, who shared a look with him before they both began to laugh. I raised an eyebrow at Garrow in confusion, but he seemed just as puzzled. We both shrugged and returned to our food as I muttered "Weird boys."

They both glanced at me in some shock, since I hadn't spoken a word after they walked in the door. I blushed slightly and ate my food in deep silence. I finished quickly and stood to wash my plate and put it away. The boys watched me with mild surprise; they usually just left their things on the table. The younger one hesitantly got up and came to stand behind me as though to clean his plate too. I turned and held out a hand, which he slowly set the plate in. I took it and turned back around, briskly washing it as he stood there not knowing what to do. Noticing this, I sighed.

"Well, don't just stand there like a dumb calf, go be a dear lamb and sort through that pile of clothes to find out what's yours and take them to your room. Also, if that pile of trinkets on the counter is yours then take them with you as well. If you don't want them then throw them out." I instructed in a soft voice without looking up, drying the plates and putting them back in the cabinets. He quickly went to do as he was told, unsure how to take my orders precisely. He gathered up the trinkets and carried them off down the hallway first, going in the first door on the right and leaving it open.

The older boy stood with more dignity and silently handed me his dirty plate, going to sort through the pile of clothes with a small smile on his face. As I was cleaning his plate, the younger boy came back out of his room and started digging through the pile as well. I put away the cleaned plate and looked at Garrow, who was still sitting at the table. He leaned back in his chair with a happy sigh and folded his hands over his small stomach, relaxing.

I walked over and took up his plate, taking it to the sink to be cleaned. Garrow started to put his feet on the table when I said "No, no, no Garrow. No feet on the table. If you want to relax with your feet up then go sit in the living room; the table in there is clean and waiting for your dirty shoes." I told him, rolling my eyes when he couldn't see. He looked shocked for a split second and then laughed heartily, getting up and slapping a hand down on my shoulder in a warm gesture.

"You don't have to try and act so tough. The boys aren't really that bad. However, it looks like they're about to change their lifestyle a bit, don't you think?" he said, smiling. I smiled too for once and relaxed my stiff shoulders, nodding and going back to my old self. Garrow patted my shoulder in approval and ambled over into the living room, sitting in the chair on the right and putting his feet up on the empty table. I smiled and cleaned off the kitchen table and counter before allowing myself to relax on the sofa, staring pensively into the flames of the fire.

The two boys came back in the room hesitantly, and the older one dashed for the empty chair. The younger one ran after him, trying to get there first. They pushed and shoved against one another until the younger one lost and stood glaring with his arms crossed at the smirking older boy.

"Am I honestly so terrifying that you two have to fight over who gets to sit the furthest away from me?" I asked them quietly, quickly catching their attention. The boys both looked rightfully ashamed of themselves, but the older one still didn't get up. The younger one huffed in annoyance and sat on the left end of the sofa, far away from me. I sighed in slight annoyance.

"If you prefer solitude then be my guest, but otherwise show a little respect and don't make your hesitation so obvious." I told the younger one, who looked even more ashamed of himself than before. I stood up and walked past him to the books I had stacked up, selecting one and returning to my seat on the couch, kicking off my shoes and sitting cross-legged as I opened to the first page of 'Domia abr Wyrda'. This book had the complete history of Alagaesia. With a smile, I began to read the long and detailed book.

For a while I read in silence, keeping my other senses focused on the movements of the fidgety boys in the living room. After a few very long and tense minutes for the boys, Garrow commented "She really doesn't bite boys, she's just a little formal and shy. Once you talk to her a bit she gets better, you'll see. Why don't you all start out by saying 'Hello'?" He suggested with a small smile on his face. He gestured to the older boy as I marked my page and closed the book, giving him my full attention.

I focused my crystal blue eyes with hints of gray on his dark brown ones and he grew still for a very long moment. He quietly gulped and tried to look dignified as he said in a slightly accented voice "Hello, I'm Roran, Garrow's son." He reached a tentative hand out for me to shake, and I accepted it with a shy grip even though my hands were rough from years of working.

In my own strange, lilting accent that no one else in the world seemed to possess, I answered him. "Hello, my name is Ayla Sharmila. I guess I'll be living here for a while." I released his hand and he heaved a sigh of relief, glad that the worst was past.


	7. Breaking Some Ice and Making Plans

**Chapter Seven**

The younger boy tapped my shoulder and hesitantly reached out a hand for me to shake when I'd turned to give him my attention.

"Hello, I'm Eragon, Garrow's nephew. It's nice to have you here." I shook his hand and he gave me a small smile.

"I'm Ayla, and it's a pleasure to meet you young Eragon." I told him in my strange lilting voice.

"Young Eragon? You're not so very old as to call me young! You must be only twenty at best." he argued.

I gave him a strange look and asked quietly "Now what would make you think that?" He looked as though he were about to answer, and then thought better of it.

"Do you assume I'm so much older than you because of these?" I asked him quietly, stroking the scars and small burns on my face, making it seem distorted and strange. He bit his lip from saying anything but gave a slight nod. Garrow was glaring silent daggers at the boy, and Roran look angry but curious all the same.

I sighed and said "Eragon, I do not blame you for your curiosity or your keen sight, but you are somewhat mistaken. Bad things happen out there in the world, bad things that I've witnessed over and over again. Sometimes, people like me get hurt. And, if you are as curious as to my age, I'm actually only fifteen." I explained quietly, my eyes changing from their vibrant crystal blue to a dull cloudy gray within seconds. I felt the shift and sighed quietly, feeling older than my few years of fifteen.

Eragon gazed at me with such pity that I had to look away before the pain started to show in my eyes. I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and resigned myself to tracing the detailed cover of the large book in my lap, ignoring him.

After another quiet moment, which there seemed to be a lot of tonight, Garrow said "Well, I think it's time we left the young lady alone and retired to our rooms. Eragon, it's your turn to go feed the chickens and goats, and Roran needs to go take care of the horses." he said, sitting back and watching them leave. As the door closed behind them, I sighed with relief and glanced at Garrow, who was watching me with a carefully guarded expression.

Before he could say anything however, I stood and told him "I'd like to go look after my horse, if that's alright." I said, half-asking for permission. Garrow nodded and stood, following me out the door and closing it behind us. As we walked down the path to the barn where light was streaming out from, Garrow held a thoughtful expression.

"You know, I've never seen those two boys so tense before. They must be unused to seeing a woman in the house, especially one that's their own age. Don't let them worry you too much; they're just a bit strange at times." he offered as an explanation, picking up a conversation. I smiled a bit.

"They are a bit strange, but so am I. It doesn't really worry me if they approve of my presence or not; I've gotten along just fine in places that I wasn't really wanted." I said, spilling more beans than I had meant to. Garrow raised a questioning eyebrow at me, but I shook my head and he badgered me no more on the subject. We walked in the peaceful quite of night to the brightly lit barn, where voices could be heard inside. I slowed just outside the barn door and told Garrow to go on in, that I wanted to listen first. He nodded and walked inside just as Eragon began to speak.

"She's crazy! First she seems bossy and strict and then when she starts to open up it's as though she's a completely different person. I just don't understand her!" he said, sounding aggravated.

"That's because she doesn't want you to understand her." Garrow commented as he walked in the doors.

"Father! I'm sorry, we didn't hear you coming." Roran apologized.

"And so you didn't, thanks to all your arguing and yelling. You shouldn't be talking about the young lady as though she's a common goat. She's been through a lot more than you could ever dream of boy. And yes, for a while she will seem a little strange to you, but that's because she's scared. If you try to open up to her on your _own_, then you'll see she's just a shy child inside." Garrow reprimanded them.

"I'm sorry Uncle; I just can't figure her out. It's usually easy to figure out a person right when I meet them, but she's just so _different_." Eragon complained, sounding exasperated.

"And she will always seem different to you, and you know why? For one thing, she's a woman and all women are very different. And for another thing, she's been through a life that shadows her every step and you don't even take it into consideration. Have you ever considered where she got those scars and bruises all over her? Her family was killed in an Urgal raid down in Yazuac, and she was the sole survivor. She probably had to fight her way out of there with tooth and nail. How would you feel if that had happened to you?" Garrow asked, yelling in meaning even though he was only speaking in his voice level.

"I'm sorry Uncle, I hadn't realized." Eragon said, sounding ashamed.

Garrow put a comforting hand on Eragon's shoulder as I silently stepped into the barn, leaning against the open door. "It's not your fault Eragon, so quit feeling sorry for yourself. Things happen that we have no control over, and that's just the way it is." I said as I walked into the barn. Garrow looked unsurprised, but the two boys looked shocked and ashamed.

I stood in front of the three of them and looked both Eragon and Roran in the eyes. "However, Garrow is right. If you want to get to know who I really am, then just come talk to me. Don't waste time talking behind my back, because it won't give you the answers you need. Patience is best right now." My strange lilting voice commented quietly. I blinked softly and then turned, going past them to Karnus' stall to check him over for anything he may have caught on the way here.

I grabbed a brush from atop a nearby bucket and began to get them tangles and lumps out of his coat, brushing each spot until his coat was shiny. Eragon and Roran each grabbed a brush and came to help me. Eragon was on Karnus' left while Roran was on his right, and I was in front of him, getting the tangles out of his mane and bangs with a comb I had found lying around. Karnus had his eyes closed as the peaceful silence descended upon us all.

For a while we all just stood and calmly cleaned Karnus. When he was cleaned, the boys went to doing their chores quietly while I spent more time with my horse.

"We're going to be staying here a while, so you might as well get used to this stall. I'm going to ride into town tomorrow and see about picking up a few more sets of clothes for myself, along with a sword. I need to be able to defend myself from anything that may come along. I just hope it isn't Durza." I whispered that last part to myself. My warhorse nudged me and I hugged him around the neck, banishing the thought of Durza ever hurting me.

My warhorse nudged me again and gave me a strange look, and it took me a moment to realize why. I laughed for real for the first time in hours and patted my horse's side fondly.

"You great fool! I know you can defend me, but I want to be able to defend you too, and I can't do that with just my fists." I told him. My warhorse snorted but otherwise didn't argue. I smiled and stroked his mane, feeling at one with Karnus.

"I'll be in here tomorrow just after sunrise so that we can go to town for the things we need, alright?" I said, scratching his withers. Karnus eagerly bobbed his head up and down, whinnying happily. I laughed again and hugged my warhorse one last time before leaving his stall, deciding to go back to the house to sleep, for I was tired.

I began to walk out into the dark night towards the house when movement on the edge of the tree line to my left caught my attention. I stopped and focused on the spot, and I was just barely able to make out the shape of something or someone crouched down there. I hesitantly approached, not sure who or what it was. As I got closer, I was able to make out a hooked nose shadowed by blazing brown eyes.

"Excuse me, are you Brom? The story-teller?" I asked the dark shape quietly. A sigh was heaved from the darkness as Brom stepped out from the shadows, looking rather annoyed.

"I'm sorry, but is there any particular reason you're sneaking around through the woods here?" I asked him, trying to be polite in my accusation.

"Yes indeed there is Miss, and you're the very reason. You're the young girl that died in that fire in Therinsford aren't you?" he asked, getting right to the point.

I sighed and nodded quietly, asking him in a whisper "How did you know? I heard you and the cloaked man speaking about me, but I had decided to remain anonymous. I don't understand." I told him, feeling very suspicious.

"You'll find that I'm far more attentive than the folk around here give me credit for. Like that warhorse of yours, he's a special breed that the men of old used when surging into battle. They weren't used just because of their bulk and fighting ability, but also because of their sharp wit and the ability for them to listen to people. That was a very important trait back then." he commented to my surprise.

"I see what you mean. But what does all of this have to do with me?" I asked him quietly. He glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping on our conversation before answering in a whisper.

"Certain forces are starting to gather and move around in this part of the world, and that's a disturbing fact. Tomorrow, come up to town to visit me. I'll be waiting by Morn's Tavern where I will escort you to my house so that our questions may be answered. Did you have anything planned for tomorrow?" he directed me quietly, saving the question for the end. I nodded quietly.

"Yes, I was going to go into town to get some clothes and a good sword for me to use. As I told my horse earlier, I need to be able to defend myself." I told him quietly. He nodded slowly.

"Tell the others that you're going into town to get a few things and spend time with the local women, then when you leave head straight for Morn's Tavern so that we can talk. You won't need to go buy a sword; I have one that should be fitting. I'll see you tomorrow." he said, disappearing back into the trees as slick as a snake, though I knew he wasn't gone yet.

"I'll be there. Good night Brom." I told him, before turning and starting back towards the house. I walked slowly up the path, enjoying the sounds and scents that floated through the night air. When I reached the front door I hesitated for a moment before walking inside. The fireplace was burning low and a lonely candle was on the counter to light the room. By the sounds of Garrow's snoring, I knew him to be asleep. I assumed the boys were sleeping as well.

Without giving it a second thought, I took the blanket off of the back of the couch and spread it out, using my bag as a pillow on the end. I blew out the candle's light and crawled under the blanket, staring at the burning embers of the fire before slowly drifting off to sleep.


	8. Watching and Waiting

**Chapter Eight**

The peaceful sleep I had hoped for didn't come, but was once again haunted by the strange shadows that continued to mock and torment me. _I clutched my spectral form's head in anguish and crouched down, trying to hide from their evil laughter._

_"Pooorrr, poor Aylaaaa...trapped in a world she doesn't understand and waiting for a death that she knows will coooommme on sssswiffttt winggssss..." one of the shadows whispered, laughing mockingly. I tried to strike out at it, but the shadow dissolved around my spectral hand, only to reappear further away, still laughing. I curled up in a fetal position and tried to plug my ears, but to no avail. Their words slivered through like the slickest snake._

_"Leave me alone!" I yelled, clutching my head even tighter._

_"Oh Ayla, what's the matter? Are you afraid your dearest Shade won't be able to save you from us? He will be the one to kill you because we will make it so! You will die slowly, painfully, pitifully..." they whispered viciously. I shook my head vigorously._

_"No! I was told to stay alive and that's what I'll do! I won't let you harm me!" I screamed, my eyes blazing angrily._

_"Oh my, the sun is rising. Better wake up Ayla, your death is approaching swiftlyyyyy..." they whispered, their voices drifting away from me as the sun began to rise._

I sat straight up on the couch, my eyes wide with terror. I hunched over and cried silent tears of fear and relief, glad the nightmare was over but traumatized by its meaning and effect. I cried quietly for a little while before telling myself I needed to get ready. I slowly sat up and stood, avoiding a head rush. With a sigh of despair, I got to work. Surprisingly, I began to feel better bit by bit. The more I moved around, the better I felt. But the haunting ache was still there in my mind.

I folded my blanket and laid it over the back of the couch. My bag went in the back corner of the room, out of sight. I changed into my other set of clothes, consisting of leather pants, a long-sleeved cloth shirt, and a leather jerkin to go over it. I also had a pair of leather gloves. I brushed out my hair and put it up into a high ponytail, the straight strands hanging down to the middle of my back. I put a leather headband on and deemed myself ready for the day.

The sun was slowly starting to rise over the horizon, so I busied myself with breakfast. I dug out the ingredients and started cooking. It didn't take very long, so the meals were finished and on the table just was the boys were waking up and coming out of their rooms one at a time. Roran came out first, and he quickly wolfed down his breakfast, going back for seconds. I ate a pair of apples and a slice of bread and felt completely full. Eragon soon joined us in the kitchen, sitting at the table with Roran while I leaned against the wooden framework of the house relaxingly, eating my apple.

When I finished it, I threw the core away and turned to the boys. "I'll be gone for a while today, so clean up after yourselves when breakfast is over. You may need to fix your own lunch, but I doubt that. At the latest I'll be back by about noon. Tell Garrow when he wakes up that I went to town for a few things and to spend some time with the other women in the village. Good luck today boys." I told them with a small wave, walking across to the living room to shoulder my small backpack before walking out the door towards the barn.

I put my small backpack's straps on my shoulders and walked quietly down to the barn. When I got inside, the sun was just raising up into the sky. Karnus was already awake, standing up straight in his stall. When he heard my footsteps he turned his head quickly my way, and then whinnied happily when he saw who it was. I smiled and walked over to my huge warhorse, patting his shoulder fondly.

"Here you go boy, eat that up while I get your saddle." I told him, feeding him an apple I had snuck out of the house. He munched on it happily as I grabbed his saddle and hoisted it up onto his back. I tightened the synchs and checked its grip. Perfect.

When Karnus finally finished chewing on his apple, I put his bridle over his nose and snapped the clip into place. Once he was ready, I held the stall door open so he could walk out. I closed it behind him and then hauled myself up into the saddle, slipping my feet through the stirrups and grabbing the reigns tightly.

"Ready for an early morning run Karnus?" I asked him. He stomped a hoof impatiently as if to say _Let's go!_

I flicked the reigns and he started off at a simple trot, going out of the barn and up the dirt trail to the main road. When we got to the edge of the road he stopped and swiveled his ears back and forth, listening for the sound of anyone around us. Hearing nothing apparently, he sat there in content until I flicked the reigns to get him to go. He reared, pawing the air dramatically with his fore hooves before charging up the road towards Carvahall.

It took us only about fifteen minutes of good riding to reach the actual village of Carvahall. When we got near the entryway arch, we slowed to a soft trot and wound our way through the streets to Morn's Tavern. Brom wasn't waiting outside, so I assumed he wanted me to go inside first. I rode up to the front side of the small building and pulled Karnus to a stop, slipping down out of the saddle and tying his reigns to the same post as yesterday.

"Stay here Karnus, and don't let anybody try to lead you away. I'll be back out shortly." I whispered to him. He snorted and blew in my face before standing up a little straighter, his ears moving around as he listened to what he couldn't see. I patted his mane and walked into the tavern.

Once my eyes had adjusted to the gloom, I looked around the place. Brom wasn't here yet, though quite a few people were sitting inside to drink some morning ale and coffee to wake up. I bought a small mug of ale from Morn after a cheerful "Good morning" and sat in the corner of the room, sipping my drink quietly. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the room, dropping in on each conversation as I pleased.

"-Harvest this year is going to be absolutely splendid if the traders buy pricey and not cheap-" One farmer said to two others who were sitting at the same table as him.

"-beautiful fabric. Where did you get it? Oh, Therinsford, I see. How lovely-" Two women conversed in excited tones.

"-too watery around here. Don't we got anything stronger to drink?" one man complained to Tara.

"No, because we're trying to get crazy old fools like you to stay on your feet every day." she reprimanded, pushing his feet off the table she was about to clean.

"Oh, bother." he huffed, folding his arms and pouting like a child.

"-that fire in Therinsford? Terrible fate for the families out there, lost their girl-" some other women talked quietly.

_Ccrreeaakk._

The door swung open as another person entered the pub. I didn't have to open my eyes to know that it was Brom; I could sense his presence as he slowly and quietly approached my table. When he was standing about three feet in front of me he stopped and stood there, silently watching me.

Without opening my eyes, I took another sip of ale and said quietly "Shall we be off then?" I opened my eyes to see Brom's battered old face giving me a small smile. I set my mug down and stood, following Brom outside silently. When I got out there, Karnus lifted his head up higher and stood a little straighter, a peace of torn cloth under one of his hooves.

"Trouble?" I asked him lightly and quietly. Karnus snorted and stamped a hoof angrily.

"I see." I told him, reaching down to tap his ankle so he'd lift up his hoof, allowing me to pull the scrap of cloth out from under it. I looked at its faded blue color and looked at the color of Brom's faded blue cloak, asking lightly "Trying to steal my horse are we?"

Brom gave me a small smile. "I wondered if you talked with him before you left him alone, and it turns out I was right. Now come along, we have much to talk about." he said, taking the scrap of cloth from my hand. Karnus bared his teeth at Brom in a menacing way before I firmly closed his jaw up.

"Be nice." I whispered, giggling a little. My horse relaxed and snorted, blowing a strand of his bangs out of his eyes.

I untied his reigns and hopped up into the saddle, guiding him so that he walked beside Brom at the older man's pace. We walked for a while, until we came upon a small house that really looked more like a boarded-up barn. When we reached the door Brom turned to me and said "Go around to the back; that's a fenced in area where you can let your horse move around freely in. You will find that the gate is unlocked." I nodded silently and flicked Karnus' reigns to get him moving again.

Going around to the side of the house, I found a tall but nondescript wooden gate there. I opened it from in my saddle and encouraged Karnus through it. It clicked shut behind us. I hopped down out of my saddle and took off Karnus' bridle, laying it in the grass near the fencing. I did the same with his saddle, allowing him to move around freely in the fenced in area. I went up to Karnus and looked him in the eye as I told him:

"Don't let anyone but Brom and I come in through that gate, and if they do manage to get in then don't let them get out with any of our stuff, including you. Stay back here until I come to fetch you. Be good Karnus." I told him, patting his side before I walked in the back door of Brom's home, leaving my warhorse to graze peacefully.

As I walked in, I noticed right away how strange and different Brom's home was. He had a very small and dirty kitchen, and past it I could see a bedroom that was even smaller. The main room consisted of a fireplace with two chairs and a small table in front of it, and past it was bookshelves and dressers. On other tables there were stacks of books collecting dust, artifacts lying around, and many mysterious looking things were lurking here and there. It was wonderful.

I didn't see Brom, so I walked over to the bookshelf and began to scan the titles of his books. I found one book that was inlaid with gold and got curious. I pulled it off the shelf and looked at the front cover. It was a black leather-bound book, and in gold thread on the front was a dragon. Fascinated, I opened it to a random page and began to read. I realized it was a book on dragon-lore, but it didn't sound like a story. It seemed more like an informational guide book on dragons and their riders, including the magic they used. I was completely immersed into the dietary habits of a Welsh-Green dragon when a shadow crossed over me. I spun around to see Brom watching me.

I grinned sheepishly and quietly closed the large book, looking at it longingly before sighing and putting it back on the shelf where I found it. Brom sat in the large chair by the fireplace as I sat across from him, putting my arms on the table and resting my chin on them, watching as Brom lit his pipe. Once it was lit, he sat back and watched me as I watched him.

"Now, tell me about who you really are, and not what you've been telling everyone else." he commanded quietly, staring into the flames as he said this. He blew a smoke ring and then turned his attention back on me.


	9. Recalling the Past

**Chapter Nine**

"My name is Ayla Sharmila, a young fifteen year old girl from Therinsford who was regularly abused by her father. I worked in the forge during the morning hours and worked in the stables every afternoon. Life wasn't too bad for me, though it could have been a lot better. A few days ago, my house caught on fire while I was at the stables and I stood outside of it to watch it burn, then I fainted. When I awoke, a man helped me get back on my feet and gave me a horse, telling me to run and hide. He helped me. I came here and created a new life for myself, and now I'm here talking to you. The end." I told him, closing up the story and omitting all details.

Brom sat back and smoked his pipe thoughtfully. "That was rather short. I'm going to have to ask questions now to get any _useful_ information." he said, grinning. I rolled my eyes but didn't argue...yet.

He leaned back in his chair and asked "Who was it that helped you get away from the fire?"

I leaned back as well and was debating whether or not to answer him when the elf maidens' voice whispered in my mind again _"Those who you think are your friends may become foes later...trust none but the ones your soul calls to...You are filled with The Light, and it will guide, guard, and serve you..."_

I puzzled over it all until I realized I didn't know Brom at all, even though he was being so friendly to me. I instantly threw up mental shields and a carefully calculating expression on my face as I thought over what she had said and how I was to answer Brom.

"He never told me his name, and he was different from when I had seen him before. He wasn't what I originally thought he was." was my carefully worded answer. Brom saw the caution in my face and sighed in annoyance.

"We can sit here all day Ayla until you give me some answers. Until you answer my questions, I can't answer yours." he said, blowing another smoke ring.

"Right, as if you would ever answer my questions truthfully." I said, rolling my eyes. Brom's expression darkened slightly, but he didn't argue.

"My life and its secrets are my own." he replied shortly.

"And can my life not be private either?" I demanded rudely. He paused for a brief moment, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion before he set his resolve.

"You volunteered information-" he began.

"I agreed to talk with you because you asked and it was the polite way to answer. I did not sign up for an interrogation." I corrected him, my anger beginning to flare dangerously. The white light within me began to expand at an alarming rate. My eyes began to glow slightly, the crystal gray standing out from the fading blue much more now. Realizing this, I pushed the power back down enough that it wasn't physically visible to anyone.

It was then that I began to wonder..._The light will guide, guard, and serve me... will it get me into Brom's thoughts so I know what he's thinking? Or perhaps, shall it let me know more about who he is so that I can tell if I'm dealing with someone truly horrible in disguise?_

The light within me flared up briefly, until I was seeing my vision only in shades of blue. Confused, I looked around. Brom, his chair, the table, and I were still there in our normal places, but everything around us was shifting and changing. I saw Brom as a young boy touch a blue egg in a cloaked room and have it flare up in his hand. It skipped ahead, to the egg hatching into a baby dragon. Watching the dragon grow, until Brom was abroad its back with a sword, flying with glee. It skipped further to epic battles raging all around the world, and Brom fighting each one from the back of his mighty blue dragon.

Then, it suddenly changed. Brom was working in a garden for a man, when a woman came out and kissed him. Skipping ahead to only the woman now, it showed her holding a newborn baby in her arms, handing it to a much younger Garrow and begging him to keep the baby and raise it for her, naming it Eragon. Then it went back to Brom, who was being protected by his dragon when another rider astride a red dragon pierced and killed the mighty blue dragon.

In Brom's grief and rage, it showed him spending months and years hunting down the rider of the red dragon, until he used the rider's own sword to kill him, and his dragon. The very last ones, except for the king and his dragon. It showed Brom going into hiding with the Varden, and running secret errands and missions to get them information and help. It showed Brom finding another blue dragon egg in Galbatorix's castle, and sending it to The Varden before he went into hiding as a story-teller in Carvahall. With that, my blue vision flickered and dissipated, leaving me with a very worried looking Brom in his small cramped house before the fireplace.

I sat up with a start, feeling the energy rushing back into me quickly. As the white light within me shrunk back down to its normal size inside of me, I sat up straight and looked around with practically new eyes. I looked at many of the relics and items in here and was able to place them into Brom's past, like pieces of the puzzle fitting together.

Brom gave me a concerned look, but then raised an eyebrow in confusion at my astonished glance in his direction. My wonder for a moment was incredible, but then I wondered how awful his sadness and pain must be. He's lost so much, and he's had to suffer in silence for all these years. Well, no more. Now I'm here.

I stared at Brom for a very long moment, trying to get a read on how he was now, but he was unwilling to give anything up without a fight. With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair to stare at him.

"Are you willing to answer any of my questions?" I asked him quietly. He sat back to think about it, blowing more smoke rings for a while until he finally nodded. I thought of how deep I wanted my first question to be, before choosing a simple one.

"Where did you go before you came to Carvahall? It's obvious you haven't always lived here." I pointed out. Brom blew another smoke ring as he thought up his answer.

"I was originally from Teirm, where I lived with a friend of mine. I went around collecting old stories from other trading stations and ports until I felt I knew all there was to know, and then I settled in Carvahall as a quiet place to live until my death was upon Me." he said smoothly, making it sound plausible. I small white light flared up before my eyes, and I realized it was more of my Light Power.

A flare of white light, what could that mean? I tried to figure it out until I realized with a start...

_A lie._

I leaned forward in my chair and pointed out "That was a very good lie on your part; I'll give you some credit there. Now, tell me the real story before I tell it for you." I warned him. He laughed mockingly.

"Oh I see, you know the story of my life do you? This is a story I've got to hear." he chuckled, amused at his own joke. He sat back to blow more smoke rings as I leaned forward to watch. "Well, go ahead, tell me the story of my life." he encouraged, smiling and trying not to laugh.

"I want to ask a question first. What was her name Brom?" I asked with a very serious expression.

"Whose name?" he asked, still immersed in his own joke with a smile.

I took a deep breath before answering. "The name of your blue dragon."

There was a very, very long silence in which Brom blew more smoke rings. There was no more laughter in his face, only seriousness. He looked me squarely in the eye, looking deeper and deeper as though thinking he must have missed something. With a sigh, he leaned forward, his pipe momentarily forgotten.

"How did you know? Where did you get such valuable information?" he asked me quietly, his voice somewhat menacing. I didn't answer, but merely stared at him and waited. After a moment he heaved a long sigh and stood up from his chair, walking over to the bookshelf and looking at the spines of them, seeming to forget where he was as he answered.

"Her name was Sapphira, a beautiful sapphire dragon. Her scales ranged in every shade of blue at one point or another, and she had the most loving touch in her mind. She was always there for me, and always another part of me." he said, his voice slipping into that dreamy sort of feeling you get when you remember the past.

"You miss her dearly, don't you?" I asked him. He nodded silently, staring at the books and trying to keep a firm reign on his emotions. I was tempted to stand and comfort him, but knew I shouldn't move yet. I sat back and watched the flames flickering for a while before I softly voiced another question.

"Why haven't you told Eragon?" I asked him, my voice lilting in a dreamy fashion as I stared mesmerized at the flames. I could sense rather than see Brom stiffen in surprise, hardly moving a muscle. He turned to look at me but I completely ignored his gaze.

"It wouldn't be right, not yet. I'll tell him whenever the time is right, and whenever I feel that he is strong enough to handle it." he said, walking around the room to touch the many strange and mysterious objects. A crystal ball here, a ruby-hilted sword there, and books everywhere.

I continued to watch the flames, completely entranced in body as my mind wandered. "We all have certain secrets that we'd rather not reveal, and I suggest we leave it at that for now. Curiosity tends to kill those who walk the path with it." I told him quietly. He nodded without saying a word, staring into the flames as well. After a moment he broke from his trance and grabbed his pipe.

Brom blew a few smoke rings before saying "I suppose you had best be off now young Ayla. You have some shopping to do I believe?" he recalled, raising a speculative eyebrow. I nodded and stood from my chair. I smirked to myself when Brom wasn't looking as I realized he never found out who my travelling companion had been.


	10. A Generous Gift

**Chapter Ten**

"Ah! I almost forgot in all the hustle and bustle. I meant to give you this." he said, going to the other side of the room and rummaging around in a pile of strange objects for something. When he turned back to me, he held a decently sized pouch in his left hand, plus a larger, and much longer, bundle in the other hand.

He handed me the smaller bundle first, and I carefully unwrapped it. The sound of metal clinking against each other inside surprised me, and I opened it to behold and array of beautiful knives. There was a pair of slightly curved daggers with decorated hilts in swirling silver to go in dagger-holders on either side of me, along with one smaller straight knife in front of and behind the large daggers on each side. All of this came with a belt that went around my waist, which also had a small bag on it holding tiny throwing knives that were sharper than the daggers themselves.

When I unwrapped the larger pouch, Brom surprised me with three swords. Two of the swords were in a carrying pouch that went over my shoulders and under my cloak with only the ends of the sword handles sticking out into visible sight. The two swords were identical, and were long with a slight curve at the end. The blades were fairly thin and sleek, perfect if you were a small person who needed to move fast. However, when I applied all my pressure to them they didn't bend or show that it was any strain.

Brom demonstrated by crushing another blade that looked identical in two, and then by trying the same with my blades. On my blades it bent in such a small degree that you wouldn't see it unless you were keeping a very close eye on its movements, and even then it may be invisible to you.

The two blades said something on the sides in the elfish language, and as I strained to read it Brom translated it for me. "_Garm's Thorta_; Wolf's Truth. Wolves are the best at detecting lies, and trying to lie to one is nearly impossible. However, wolves enjoy the truth and make those who lie suffer painfully. I figured you may need all of this to help you out." he said, informatively and unabashedly.

I smiled, looking at all the weapons with glee. This was far better than I could have ever hoped for. _Now if only I could figure out how to use them all properly; I could be a weapons expert!_ I thought with such pride and joy. I glanced over at Brom.

_If he had these weapons in his possession, then surely he has been trained in how to use them. Perhaps he will teach me?_ I wondered silently to myself as Brom went digging into the pile again.

I took the sword and looked it over with an expert's eye for detail. As far as I could tell, no mere human could have forged it. It was obviously of elfish make, and it had a certain air of magic about its features. I lifted it, and the weight was surprising. For a large boy or young man, it wouldn't be a problem. But if I were to be injured and weakened I probably wouldn't get very far with it. The beautiful weapon was just too large for me. I laid it back down on the table.

"I can't use this weapon Brom; it's too large for me. If I were to be wounded and had this as my only available weapon, I'd need to be able to lift it. I'd fall to the ground if I tried lifting up this thing." I said, glancing at it with some mistrust. Brom smiled in a knowing way.

"Well then, I have just the thing for you. One more weapon couldn't hurt, right?" he said, grinning before going across the room to dig in another pile.

He pulled back from it with a quiver of arrows in his hand and gave it to me. I noticed with more than a little satisfaction that it clipped onto the sword-holder on my back and was able to fit over my cloak for easy reach, and still allowing me to grab my swords if I needed them. Brom dug around in a different pile and returned with a beautiful bow, one so well-made that I almost said I couldn't take it simply because it was too precious.

The bow, much like the sword, was also of elfish making, and looked as though it was flowing with elfish magic. It curved in a beautiful array of twisted wood that had been polished to a light sheen, and was inlaid with silver threads to increase the wood's strength. The string was soft and thin, but very durable as well. It wasn't very likely to break. I drew it back with a practiced archer's stance and tested its grip and strain ratios. It didn't strain the bow's framework, and it was firm within my hands.

I flipped it into the quiver full of arrows on my back, pleased that it had its own pouch within the quiver for it to rest inside safely. I noticed as I did this that the fletching on the arrows were feathers from a dove, the pristine white standing out drastically. I donned my forest green cloak with ease and felt the comfortable weight of weapons finally upon me. I sighed in relief and smiled. Now, I felt secure in my safety. I felt able to protect myself...almost.

I turned to Brom and embraced his as I laughed. "Thank you so much! I finally feel like I'm able to protect myself. Or at least I will once I learn to use all these weapons correctly." I told him shyly, a small blush covering my pale cheeks.

Brom raised a surprised eyebrow "A girl of your age and going through what you have, and you have no prior weapons training?" he asked in astonishment. I shook my head.

"No sir. I'm the one that used to make the weapons for the soldiers, not learn to use them myself." I explained. He nodded slowly, deep in thought. A light bulb seemed to flicker on in his head, for his eyes sudden lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"I have an idea. You're a smart young woman, and you could use a bit of training I'll bet. How about you start coming here every day for lessons in anything I can think up. You'll learn to meditate and find an inner peace, you will learn to use all of your weapons, you will learn the history of Alagaesia, and you shall also learn the ancient language. It's time you got an education that could get you somewhere in the world. Besides, something about you seems very different from your average human, and this may help me figure out what it is. In a way, you're much like the elves. You'd be more suited for their race than ours." he commented as an after-thought.

I nodded, glee filling every inch of my form. "I'd love to learn all of that! It would be absolutely wonderful to learn of the history of everything. Can I ask for one other lesson as well?" I asked him, my eyes alight.

"You can ask." he said, an amused expression on his face.

"I want to learn everything that's in those books." I said, pointing to the shelf. "I want to learn about dragons, and every other creature in this world; myth or not. I want to learn about plants, and healing, and telepathic communication, even if they are abilities that I do not possess. I still want to learn." I told him, my eyes getting brighter and more joyful with each word I said. The thought of so much learning was incredible!

Brom stood there for a moment considering it before nodding and saying "Very well, but you must also realize I will give you a lot of homework. You will be quizzed each day when you enter my study." he said, watching me with an appraising eye. I nodded vigorously.

"Very well then. Each day after your noon meal you shall come up here to learn whatever I have to teach you, though it may frustrate you at the pace. Certain lessons will be taken slowly, and the simplest of thoughts or movements will be repeated for hours and hours until it becomes a part of you. Have patience and you'll be alright." he cautioned, and I smiled even brighter than before.

"You shall return to your home an hour before sunset so that you have time to prepare the evening meal and then have time that night to study on your own. I believe you already have a copy on the History of Alagaesia in your residence?" he asked. I nodded. "Very well then. You will study from that each night, and do whatever homework I request of you. You will listen to and obey your teacher and show constant respect. It would be rude not to." he said, grinning. I grinned back.

Brom sat down in his large chair by the fire to smoke his pipe and blow smoke rings once he had finished speaking. He turned and said "Make sure you're here every day; tell Garrow that I've become your teacher and you shall be joining me for lessons." I nodded silently, still smiling. "Now, go do your shopping and get home. If you hurry, you'll make it there by lunch and won't starve all day." he said, smiling and giving a small amused chuckle.

"Thank you Brom! This means more to me than you could ever imagine. Farewell!" I said, running out the back door with a whoop for joy. I was going to have lessons!


	11. Shopping, Soldiers, and Smiles

**Chapter Eleven**

My warhorse caught onto my mood the moment I stepped outside, and he whinnied happily, playfully pushing me towards his equipment. He saw the new gear I had on and inspected it silently, looking me over for any injuries and appraising my new weaponry.

"Now we can both defend ourselves." I told my stallion happily. He whinnied happily and reared, running circles around me. I laughed and went to get his saddle from its spot by the fence. I quickly opened up his saddle-bags and found a way to store my smaller weapons inside; hiding the bigger items under the bags and the sides of the saddle, along with a large saddle blanket Brom had allowed me to borrow to hide the stuff.

Once my horse was saddled, I hopped up on his back and walked him outside Brom's back gate, closing it behind me. Karnus trotted quickly away from Brom's house and towards Mistress Odele's shop, where she sold linens, threads, clothes, and anything else that could be created through sewing, stitching, knitting, and all other forms of threadwork.

I tied Karnus to a tree near her shop and told him to be careful. I knew he'd be able to keep himself safe, but I was always cautious.

As I stepped into the store I smelt the scent of clean linens and flowers used in variation to give the shop a sweet smell. I smiled to myself and walked up to the counter where a young woman of probably only eighteen was sewing a small bag together. She looked up when I approached and smiled welcomingly.

"Ahh! You must be Ayla, the new girl that's living with the men at Garrow's farm! How are you my dear? Oh, no time for that! You must be needing clothes! I have the perfect dress over here for you! Ohh, and you could use some skirts because all girls need at least five of those!" she ranted on and on. I never even got a word in. I simply smiled and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, slowing her to a stop as she went back and forth across the room, choosing things and discarding them and going to look at something else. She gave me a look of confusion when I stopped her.

"I had something particular in mind actually." I told her quietly. She brightened up instantly.

"Well then let's hear it! Hats, gloves, scarves, bonnets, ties, gowns, dresses, skirts, blouses, sashes, shoes, bows, flowers..." she began to list off a million other things that could possibly have to do with my clothes. I stopped her again.

"Miss Odele, I simply wish to have clothes more suited for travel and fighting and lots of hard work. I grew up working in a forge, not sewing, so the normal clothes aren't for me." she began to deflate at this, but then cheered up instantly.

"Well, you learn something new every day! Now I'll finally be able to see how those types of clothes look on a woman who wears them daily. Spin around for me so I can take a good guess as to what you would wear." I did as I was told and was soon wrist deep in leather outfits that more fit my style, searching with a very-excited Odele.

In the end, we came out with four very durable and long-lasting outfits that I looked great in. The first was a light colored leather that had patterns made with a slightly darker brown leather for the top. It was strapless, and stopped just above my belly-button. The bottoms were the same white leather material, but in the form of Capri's that were extremely durable. I had light brown boots that came up to my ankle that matched all the outfits I had gotten. I had white arm-bands to go with this, ones that covered my entire forearm from wrist to elbow.

The second outfit was a dark brown leather tunic with gray fur at the ends of the shoulder-sleeves and on the bottom hemming. The shirt stayed away from my neck and went in two thick straps over my shoulders and to my back, where they crossed over one another in a pattern. The bottoms were leather shorts with gray fur lining the bottom that felt great and were very flexible. With this, I also got arm-bands in the same leather material with the gray fur edging each side of the cuffs. The leather on my arms made me feel very secure.

The third outfit consisted of a leather top that was of a deep woodsy brown and was plain in the back, but not the front. In the front it came down in varied patterns of designs and had an opening in the middle of it where leather bands had been put in an intricate pattern. The sides were laced up with very thin leather strips, and the bottom of the leather top curved to the sides, leaving the sides of my hip below the strings bare and exposed. With this, I had leather gloves of the same color that were thickest on the backs of my hands.

The fourth and final outfit was the most suited for the upcoming winter. It was made up of a thicker leather tunic of a mottled red color, much like the rusty color of my hair, but with hints of gold within in. It had white fur lining the edges, and had long sleeved that also covered the back of my hands. The white fur edged the upper collar slightly, and was at the bottom hemming and on the ends of the sleeves. I had leather pants of the same rusty color and white hemming at the bottom of the pants, by my ankles. With this, I got a cloak made of mixed gold and reds with white fur on the bottom edges and the edges of the hood.

By the time I was done, I was very pleased with my purchases. I paid Odele the money I owed her and gathered up the clothes, putting them into a bag she handed me, saying it was free without charge. I smiled and thanked her warmly, feeling happy.

I carried the bag back outside the shop, wearing my original clothes and holding the bag like a prize. I turned to where Karnus was tied up and grimaced. There was trouble just waiting to happen here.

Karnus was still tied to his tree, but was baring his teeth and stomping his hoof at one of Galbatorix's Soldiers who was curious as to how tightly the saddlebags were tied. The man was obviously looking for trouble, and Karnus knew it. He kept the man at bay with flailing hooves and that terrifying temper of his, but the man was slowly edging nearer. I hurried down the road towards my warhorse.

"Excuse me sir! Is there any particular reason you're trying to steal my saddlebags?" I asked him as I approached. His head and Karnus' shot up at the same time. Karnus sighed with relief, and then straightened back up to keep an eye on the man. The soldier straightened slightly and assumed a dignified expression.

"You are mistaken young Miss, I am merely trying to calm down this animal. He was causing havoc in your absence." the man lied smoothly.

"Nonsense good sir! My horse would never do such a thing. He is merely protecting what is rightfully mine, and I suggest that it stays that way." I said warningly. The man grimaced and then turned to stalk off, muttering to himself. Karnus and I both rolled our eyes as I tied my bag of things to the back of my horse's saddle. I untied his reigns and hopped up onto his back, turning him towards home.

"I'm sorry all this stuff on your back makes things weird Karnus, but I had a bit of shopping to do. They'll be out of your mane in no time though." I assured him. He snorted and picked up a trot as we left the gates of the small town, heading for Garrow's farm.

We managed to gallop back to the farm and were cantering down the dirt path in no time at all. When we got to the barn I took the large saddle blanket and wrapped all my weapons and clothes inside of it, tying the top off. I took off Karnus' bridle and saddle and brushed him down, giving him hay to eat and a bucket of water to drink from. I hauled the bag over my shoulder and carried it up to the house with no one the wiser.

When I got inside, I carried the bag over to the back corner of the living room and set it down carefully. I took off my small backpack and put it next to my pile, feeling accomplished. I looked out at the sun and saw it was nearly noon, though I still had time. I quickly made a lunch of sandwiches for the boys and munched on an apple. The boys came in less than two minutes after I made them some lunch and were obviously surprised to see me.

"Hello Ayla; we didn't expect you back until the afternoon." Garrow greeted me cheerfully.

I nodded. "I got finished early, so I came back and made some lunch. I'll have to clean up around the house once you guys get back outside. How is the harvest coming along?" I asked Garrow. He took another bite of his sandwich before answering.

"We're about halfway done as of right now. A few more days and everything can be pulled in the root cellar to be prepared for the Winter." he said pleasantly, smiling in a good-humored manner.

I smiled in response and took another bite out of my apple, the corners of my eyes watching Eragon and Roran, who were casting strange glances in my direction. Eragon looked nervous about something, but I pretended not to acknowledge this.

After a moment, Eragon actually volunteered a conversation of his own with me. "I'm going hunting in the Spine starting tomorrow. I'll be hunting for almost a week to get us some more meat." I glanced at him in some surprise and he ducked his head shyly, eating his sandwich.

"That sounds wonderful Eragon; some fresh meat would do us good. You hunt with a bow and arrows, yes?" I asked him, feeling curious. He nodded and stood from his chair, obviously to go and fetch them. He brought back a simple yew bow that had seen many good years. With it he held a handful of goose-feather arrows that had been crafted with a special care in them. I admired the bow with an appraising eye and looked at each of his arrows, finding only one or two small problems in his arrows.

"The point on this arrow is loose, and probably won't penetrate the skin and fur as easily, and this one has a barely noticeable crack in it, see there? Yeah, it'll shatter on impact if you don't fix it or get a new arrow. Otherwise these are perfect for simple hunting, along with this wonderful bow. I'm impressed. Are you any good with it?" I asked him, looking up with bright eyes. Eragon seemed to ease out of his discomfort quickly after that, talking to me about past hunting trips.

After a few minutes of Eragon and me talking with Roran and Garrow watching, Garrow intervened. "Alright you two, you can discuss hunting and archery after the sun has gone down. We still have much work to do." he said, clapping Eragon and Roran on the shoulders. The boys joined him in going outside, but Eragon poked his head back in the door afterwards.

"Could you prepare some small meals for six days that can fit into my wood-framed pack? It would be really helpful." he asked me. I smiled to him.

"Of course I could, and shall. We can talk more when you're done with your work." I told him, smiling. He smiled too, before his head left my line of sight. After a moment, he poked his head back in the door to look at me. I raised an eyebrow at him and he blushed a little.

"You know, you're not as different as I thought you were. I'm sorry for judging you." he said, looking abashed. I smiled and walked towards him, patting him on the head like a puppy.

"Don't concern yourself Eragon; I didn't take it personally. Get to work and we'll talk more later." he nodded and scurried off into the fields with a wave in my direction. I smiled to myself as I began to clean. _Such a nice boy._


	12. Lessons and Raccoons

**Chapter Twelve**

I spent the rest of the day preparing roast chicken and baked potatoes with a fresh loaf of bread for dinner and cleaning up the house. I cleaned up the boys' rooms and the kitchen, since the living room was already spotless. I easily prepared many easy meals for Eragon to eat on the hunt and stored them in his wood-framed pack, putting the pack by one of the table legs so that it could be ready for him in the morning.

I finished cleaning over an hour before sunset, so I decided to sit down on the couch and read from the 'Domia abr Wyrda' for a while, occasionally getting up to turn the meat or check on the bread and potatoes.

I had just gotten to Chapter Three when the boys came trudging inside after a long day's work. I dog-eared the page of the book and set it down on the couch, getting up to put dinner on the table. I got out the plates and utensils and set them in their spots, telling the boys to wash their hands as I did. While they were cleaning up, I put a large platter in the middle of the table, along with a flat block and a small bowl.

I put the freshly baked bread on the flat block, dumped the baked potatoes into the bowl, and pulled the two roast chickens off of the spicket and placed them on the large platter. Everybody dug in, taking their share of food. When it was all said and done, all the food had been consumed and the boys sat back at the table, resting in their chairs with happy bellies.

"Well, you may not be the most social person I've ever met, but you sure know how to cook a great meal." Garrow commented, smiling with closed eyes. I chuckled quietly to myself, cleaning their plates in the sink before drying them and putting them back in the cabinets. Once the table was cleaned off, the boys followed me into the living room to sit and relax by the warm fire, thawing them out after the long day in the cold.

I opened up my book from where I had left off and could feel Eragon, Roran, and Garrow's stares digging into my still form as I focused on the words in the book. With a sigh of brief annoyance, I dog-eared the page again and closed the book slowly, looking up at the three of them.

"Are you all going to sit and stare, or are you going to be spontaneous and actually strike up a conversation?" I asked, letting the sarcasm drip into my words as my lilting voice scolded them slightly.

"Why are you reading such a large and complicated book?" Garrow asked me, raising a speculative eyebrow.

"Well, for one thing I find it to be extremely fascinating. And for another, Brom asked me to read from this book so he can quiz me on it." I told them, running my hand over the leather-bound cover.

"Why would Brom want you to read such a book?" Garrow asked me suspiciously.

"He and I began talking today, and he agreed to take me on as a pupil. He's my teacher now, and is going to be teaching me all the things I'll need to know for when The Time comes to pass." I told Garrow. He nodded slowly.

"Are these lessons going to be every day?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Every day from noon to just before sunset. This won't really change anything, except I won't be around the house during the second half of the day." I told them. Garrow nodded, smiling.

"Well, at least you're starting to make friends in Carvahall. And who knows, maybe this learning will be good for you, though I can't think of why you'd need to know the History of Alagaesia." Garrow said, leaning back into his chair with a shrug. I shrugged in response and re-opened my book, reading a few more pages before the boys decided to go to bed. I stayed in the living room reading for a few more minutes before closing the book and stepping outside into the fresh autumn air.

Winter was nearly upon us. Another week and we'd have some very cold weather hanging over our heads. I closed the door behind me and sat on the dirt path, staring up at the pale full moon. I smiled and closed my eyes; enjoying feeling the moon's pull as all women did.

I sat in the dirt for a while before I heard a rustling from the forest, about twenty feet to my right. A creature stepped out of the darkness, staring at me with yellowish-green eyes. I could see that it was covered in very dark brown fur, and it almost looked like a wolf.

_But no wolf was ever that big, or that skinny._ I thought to myself. And it was true. The wolf seemed to be about the size of a large man, only on all fours with even arm and leg lengths. The way the legs were bent indicated the ability to stand on either two legs or four. It had a wolf's snout, but the shape of the head was distinctly human otherwise. Also, it wearing some patchy leather Capri's and a plain tan cloth shirt.

The thickly built neck was turned my direction, and the eyes bore deep into me. It started to slowly advance my way, then whimpered and turned to flee back into the cover of darkness. A blood-chilling howl echoed through the night, close to where the creature had disappeared into the bushes.

I listened to the musical notes of the howling for a moment without fear before excitement overcame me. _Whatever that was, I must tell Brom! Who knows what other marvelous creatures reside around here?_

With that thought in mind, I went back into the small farm house and crawled under the blanket on the couch, falling asleep within a few seconds.

The peaceful and resting sleep I had hoped for deserted me once again, being replaced by the creeping shadows that constantly haunted my dreams.

_"Foolish girl, she thinks she can find some normalcy. Well, won't she get a surprise. Her death will soon come on swift wings, following her in shades of day so pure she won't see her danger until it's far too late. And then, she will die trying to protect what should be destroyed, being killed by the bringer of peace." One of the dark shadows prophesized. I didn't want to listen, but I knew it could be important._

_After that, they spent the rest of the night torturing me relentlessly. The shadows all crowded around, trying to block out my light and make my hope fade._

_"Ayla, Ayla, where do you nest little bird? You will be found, and you will dddiiiieee..." they whispered menacingly. Laughing more and more, they closed in on me. I shook violently, trying to escape. I waited all night until the light of dawn began to creep over the horizon and drive the spirits far away. When they fled, I sighed in relief and forced myself to return to the real world where light was my safety._

I awoke with a start, and sat up to find I was soaked through with sweat. Groaning in annoyance, I got up and got dressed in the white outfit that I had chosen when I got my new clothes. I quickly made a breakfast of scrambled eggs and warm biscuits with some sausage on the side. The boys quickly entered the kitchen full of delicious smells and began wolfing down their food as quickly as possible, savoring the warmth and taste. Still looking a little sleepy, they got up and got ready for the rest of the day.

Eragon grabbed the remainder of his things and stored them in his pack, putting it on his back. He left early, trying to get a head start. I wished him good luck and waved farewell to him as he headed off to the Spine. Roran and Garrow went to work out in the fields, while I prepared their lunch and dinner, also cleaning the house. When their dinner was done, I put it in a small oven that would keep the food warm all day without burning it or letting it go bad. I made them a very simple lunch and shared the meal with them at midday.

When they, again, went out to the fields, I got ready to leave. I donned my swords on my back, putting my green cloak over it. I put the belt around my waist, feeling already familiar with the weight of the weapons. I clipped the quiver of arrows onto the sword-holder on my back, though the quiver was over the top of my cloak with the bow strung inside the tubing. I brushed out my hair, letting it fall over my shoulders and hang down as I left the house. I walked down the dirt path with a purpose, feeling like the fiercest warrior the world had ever seen.

When Karnus saw me enter the stables he whinnied happily, and seeing the gear on my back he let out a fierce snort. I smiled at him and said "Ready to rock Karnus?" He stomped a hoof impatiently and waited in anticipation for me to finish saddling him up so that we could get out of there. When he was saddled and ready to go, I hopped up onto his back and flicked the reigns. I felt like a true warrior as we charged out of the barn and up the road to Carvahall.

We soon reached the small town of Carvahall, and when we got to the entrance gate I slowed Karnus down to a trot. We wound our way through the streets to Brom's house, going through his back gate so Karnus could run around without fear of being taken. I laid his gear by the fence again and entered through Brom's back door, calling a timid "Hello?" as I stepped inside.

"Come on in Ayla." Brom's voice called from inside. I stepped in timidly and looked around the dimly-lit room and saw a shock. Brom was sitting in his usual chair, but across from him on the table was what appeared to be the skeleton of a small mammal, most likely a raccoon. I looked closely at it and saw many surprises I had not expected. Brom spent the next two hours explaining the different parts of the raccoon's body, using one of the books on his shelf to show me the muscles and tendons and fat on an average raccoon. In those two hours, I learned so much about raccoons that I felt sure I could find one if I stepped outside right now.

Next, Brom taught me about the different living habits of the raccoon, along with its eating, sleeping, hunting, and mischievous habits that centered on a raccoon's daily life. Our time was half gone when our raccoon lesson had finally ended, and I was brimming with its knowledge. Before Brom could choose another subject to teach me on, I remembered something important.

"Master Sir, I heard about a strange creature not too long ago, from back in my old town." I told him. Brom raised an eyebrow and leaned forward in his chair, interest showing on his face.

"Well, what was it?" he asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." I admitted shyly. "It was like no animal I had ever heard of. I was told that its existence was mythical, and that they supposedly didn't exist." I told him.

"Can you describe it, or perhaps draw a picture of it?" he asked me. I conjured up the picture in my mind and nodded to him, asking him to get me some parchment and a small stick of charcoal to draw with. He handed them to me and I began to quickly sketch out what I had seen. I didn't fail in any of my details, being able to see the creature very clearly in my mind. When I was finished, it had been at least twenty minutes since the charcoal had been placed in my hand. I handed the parchment to Brom, relieved and rather proud of myself. My drawing looked nearly identical to the creature I had seen.

Brom took one look at the parchment and paled visibly. He continued to stare at it with amazed eyes before asking quietly "Are you absolutely positive that this is _exactly_ what your friend described to you?"

I nodded in affirmative. "He had drawn the picture, but I have a good memory so I was able to copy it. What is it?" I asked him. Brom stared at it a moment longer before standing and looking through the books on his shelf until he found the right one. He laid it down on the table and opened it up; flickering through the pages until he came upon the one he was looking for. He pushed the open book towards me as he answered my inquisitive stare.


	13. Knowledge and Meditation

**Chapter Thirteen**

"The creature you heard of is called a werewolf, and they're not supposed to exist to tell you the truth. They were supposed to be a myth. The only known crosses between human and animal are the elves that have the ability to shift part of their bodies into that of a chosen creature. Now, while werewolves aren't supposed to exist, it is now obvious that they might. In that case, they are very rare creatures." Brom explained, pushing the book further my way. I read the text with some surprise.

_**Werewolves, the cross-breed between human and wolf are among the rarest creatures in Alagaesia. They tend to be found alone, but when given the opportunity they prefer to hunt and live together in packs. They have the ability to change into their half-human, half-wolf form each night after sunset, though they are most confident on the nights of the full moon, when they are the strongest. This is when they are most often seen, for the light of the moon makes their furry pelts shine and encourages them to reveal themselves to the local inhabitants of this world.**_

_**Werewolves most commonly eat humans, needing to eat a human heart once a month in order to survive. However, werewolves have also been known to dine on deer and even rabbits when they are in a very unpopulated area where human food is scarce. When a man changes into a werewolf, it is very common for them to forget who they are, and who the humans they come across are. Often times, werewolves have been known to kill their best friends when they come across their paths.**_

_**Furthermore, the werewolves howling are often answered by a call from one of the same kind, and encourage the ritual mating all werewolves take part in when meeting with one another. They often group together in packs and never fight amongst themselves, choosing a single Alpha male and female before settling into a regular routine. Werewolves are very secretive creatures, and have been so good at hiding themselves that their very existence has passed into myths and legends that are told to children as scary bedside stories.**_

_**However, while the memory of a werewolf may not recognize those it has seen before, many of the older werewolves still hold the common sense and structure of mind that they had while they were human. Often before has a human been confronted with a werewolf that has not wanted to kill them, but simply visit with them. This most commonly happens on the nights of the full moon, when the werewolf is the strongest and also the closest in mental strength to their human forms.**_

_**Werewolves have uncommonly long life spans, living one year to every normal human's ten years. Werewolves have been known to live for hundreds of years, passing through time in the blink of an eye. Werewolves often pass down their genetics to their children, but can also willingly change the average mortal into a much more powerful being. In order to do that, they must perform the Werewolf's Kiss, where they pierce the flesh of the human above the location of the heart, allowing their venom to flow through the bloodstream and consume the body.**_

_**Young werewolves have the least control and are often reckless, fighting with other werewolves and being seen by humans that it doesn't kill. In other scenario's, young werewolves have been known to slaughter entire towns without considering why. Their thoughts are based completely on instinct. Only after years of experience do werewolves gain enough maturity to control their werewolf form the same way they control their human forms.**_

_**Also, it is the nature of a werewolf to recognize its own kind when they are still human, and they often group together out of loneliness and the need for the comfort of their own kind, much as the residents in a small town do. All werewolves can also recognize those who hold magic, and initially shy away from them. Magic can scare away a werewolf if they don't know the personality of its holder. However, it is not uncommon for those who use magic to create unbreakable bonds of trust and friendship with werewolves who recognized their power.**_

_**This has allowed the two species to live in peace for a long time, and they have often been seen fighting side-by-side in battle, through the days and nights. In order for a magic-using mortal to gain the trust of a shape-shifted werewolf, they must simply demonstrate their magic in a peaceful way, or by helping the werewolf when they need it. There have also been rare cases where a werewolf and a regular mortal become bonded in friendship, eventually turning the mortal into a werewolf companion for the original one to share a life with.**_

_**Werewolves are often seen as misshapen wolves. They have the snout of a wolf, and many also have the tail. All werewolves are covered in a fur depicting to their personalities, and their eye color reflects their inner soul. They have the even arm and leg lengths like a wolf does, but the limbs are longer and thinner than usual, made almost completely of muscle to support the rest of the body. Many times they travel upright on two legs, but when speed is necessary they travel on all fours. Their spine is sometimes visible through the fur, and often gives them a slightly curved back.**_

_**Many times, a werewolf has its hair grown out so that it's connected with their fur right where their shoulder blades meet. However, it is not uncommon to see a female werewolf with a long patch of what was once normal hair going down her back and connecting to her fur at her waist. Werewolves have extremely sharp canine teeth, and their claws are very similar to small daggers. They are much faster than they seem capable of for their enormous size, often standing to a height of eight and a half feet. Also, their muscle look small and thin, but they can usually lift up to five times their own weight, which is slightly higher than the average weight of a human their sex. Also, it is very common for werewolves to re-visit the same places night after night, out of simple tradition and a sense of familiarity.**_

_**Werewolves gather together once a month at every full moon, spending the night hunting together and singing Pack-Song, often making people creep to their doors with weapons in hand, terrified by the loud racket they cause when in groups. It is very uncommon for a werewolf to attack people living in settlements, especially when grouped together in a town or village. However, werewolves have been seen walking around neighborhoods in the middle of the night, exploring with their burning curiosity and new senses that they wouldn't have during the daytime.**_

_**The transformation from a human to a werewolf is said to be the most painful thing imaginable. Your body has to completely shift all of its bones and tendons, re-growing new body parts and becoming covered in fur. Those who were cursed with becoming a werewolf feel the pain as something close to death, but those that chose a werewolf's life feel incredible pleasure and triumph, often laughing during their transformations. Not all werewolves are the same, and because of their rareness it is difficult to find any more information concerning them.**_

_**However, if you ever get the chance to meet a werewolf, treat it like a human, not an animal. Werewolves are naturally proud creatures, and treating them like a simpleton may be the last thing you ever do. While it takes a werewolf a very long moment to retranslate out language into their own unique tongue, they are still able to hear and understand you clearly. If you are lucky enough to meet an older werewolf with human thoughts and feelings, you may be lucky enough to earn a lifelong friend.**_

I read the long passage with excitement bubbling up into my system. _I met a werewolf, and they're such amazing creatures! I wonder if I'll get to meet him again? I hope so; I felt terrible for scaring it off like I did._ I thought to myself. Brom waited until I was finished reading, and then put my picture in the werewolf entry page, closing the dusty book and going to place it back on the shelf. When he had done that, he turned to look at me.

"You're friend sure knows about one of the strangest mythical creatures in the world. If you're ever unlucky enough to meet one, then be warned. When people still believed they existed, werewolves were one of the darkest and most evil creatures on the continent. They killed innocent humans and worked for the users of dark magic to destroy towns and wreak havoc upon the world. They also held incredible power of their own. If you ever see one of these, turn around and run as fast as you can." he warned me.

I nodded silently, pretending to seem somewhat afraid, though on the inside I was bubbling with joy. _Maybe I'll get to see him again tonight, and if I do then I may get a friend worth having. Those on the darker side of life never seem to be as truly evil as the lighter side believes they are, much like Durza._ I thought to myself wistfully.

"Now then, I think it's time for our next lesson: meditation. This is something that calms your mind and soul, cleanses and organizes your thoughts, and brings you an inner peace that you'll later be able to summon at will in the middle of a stressful situation. It's a very useful trick when you're fighting for survival, or even your sanity." My ears perked up a little at this. _Maybe it could help me fight those shadow demons that have been plaguing my dreams._ I thought to myself.

"Now, for starters you need to be somewhere that you're the most at peace at. When you get to that place, you must sit with your legs crossed and your spine straight. Your hands are to rest either in your lap or on your knees, and you are to focus only on breathing in rhythm and clearing out your mind. The task is difficult at first because stray thoughts will pop into your head at times, but your goal is to try and empty out your head. Much like spring cleaning." he said, giving me a wry grin. I grinned back.

"Now, where do you feel the most comfortable?" he asked me. I thought back for a moment. I had always felt my best when I was surrounded by nature, so I often journeyed off into the woods or fields where there was plenty of wildlife. I smiled to myself. There was plenty of that in the forests surrounding us. I stood and Brom followed, wondering where we were going I suppose.

I walked outside and saw that Brom practically lived with the forest as his backyard. Choosing the large apple tree that dominated the back fence behind his home, I sat beneath it with my legs crossed and my hands resting in my lap. My spine was kept straight as I closed my eyes and focused solely on my own breathing. Brom counted quietly next to me, having me breathe in for five counts, hold for five, and then release for five. Then he would start over.

Brom soon fell silent, going into his own meditative pose. The sounds around me were unusually loud since my eyes were closed, but they all faded into a fuzzy background that served to push me deeper into my mental state of calm. I quickly cleared out my mind, thinking of nothing at all but the peace that surrounded me. I was drained of thought and filling up with energy, starting to feel the calm wash over me like the rippling waves in a pond, and the clear mind wrap around me like a soft blanket.

After a while, I sensed rather than saw or heard Brom open his eyes and turned to look at me. My clear mind enabled me to sense what was around me without actually seeing or hearing it. It was all about the aura surrounding the thing. I opened my eyes as well and turned to look at Brom, my mind still completely clear. Him speaking shattered the clear mind, but in a very gentle way. Everything felt cleaner, clearer, and sharper. I felt more aware of my surroundings than ever before, and I was far more alert.

"How do you feel?" he asked me quietly. I blinked slowly, calming down my newfound extra sense before choosing to respond.

"I feel rejuvenated and refreshed. I have more energy now, and my mind is as clear as it can be. I feel much more...alert now." I told him in all honesty. He nodded and muttered to himself "Very good."

After a moment, he slowly stood to his feet and helped me to my own. "Now then, shall I teach you with our remaining hours how to use those two swords on your back?" he asked. I nodded with a smile.


	14. Visitor In The Moonlight

**Chapter Fourteen**

Brom told me to wait out here as he disappeared inside. He returned moments later with a pair of identical swords, similar to mine though they were broader and a little rougher perhaps.

"Now then, the meaning behind your two swords is that they are really just one weapon. They are two halves of the same whole, so each movement is to use both as one. They _are_ one, even though they don't appear to be. You will wield them as though they are a joined weapon. Understand?" he asked me. I nodded silently.

"Good. Now let's start with some basics. The swords are supposed to feel connected to you, much like an extension of your arm. They flow smoothly like water. So, start by moving them from side to side in front of you, in one fluid movement. Remember that they are equals." he said, showing me what he meant. He held the two swords apart, and moved them in the same rhythm, back and forth in front of him, bending his elbows so they twisted left and right like flowing water.

I copied his movements, moving the blades back and forth and trying to see them as one flowing object. As I watched them with my own sense of awe, I unintentionally reached out with my white light and was able to change my vision again. This time, I saw the two swords glowing purple with swirling veins around them. The invisible veins joined the two swords together while still keeping them apart. Once I could see the connection, it was much easier to use them as a single weapon.

I was moving them back and forth as one, not letting the connection between them strain. I twisted them both around in my hands, and the connection moved as they did. I slashed up and around and cut cross-ways and still the connection never faded, even when the swords were going opposite directions. Once Brom knew I had gotten the basic idea down, he began to train me in different techniques that would help me attack with my swords and defend myself with them.

By the end of the day's lessons, I was sore and covered in bruises from Brom's sword when he got around my defenses to smack me with the flat of the blade, but I also felt majorly accomplished. I couldn't wait to get back home and see what the rest of the day held for me.

_Home._ I thought to myself with a happy sigh. I had a real home now, one that I was happy to return to.

Karnus galloped all the way back home, flying like the wind and racing the eagles that flew higher up in the sky. It brought me joy to see so much of a happy personality in a warhorse. We made it back home in record time, and I quickly put Karnus back into his stall and groomed him, trying to get to the house and hide my stuff before the boys got inside from working in the fields.

_You're gonna have to tell them eventually. When you come home each night in the winter, when they have nothing to do, with your weapons on your back they're going to wonder where they came from. You may as well tell them as soon as you can._ A little voice in my head told me. I grimaced. Not a pleasant conversation to look forward to.

_I'll tell them after Eragon gets back._ I decided, before going to check on the food I had kept warm all day. It was in perfect condition, with just the right amount of juiciness left in it. Smiling to myself secretly, I began to lay out food on the table. Once the table was set, I quickly hid all my weaponry and was reading my History book when the two men came in the front door. Without me having to tell them, the two went to wash their hands in the sink before they sat at the table to eat.

The meal was quiet, and they were both so tired that they retired to bed early as I sat out front to look at the moon again. I waited outside for a while, and was starting to get up to go back inside when I noticed that the werewolf was crouching not three feet away from me, simply watching me with curious and cautious eyes. I blinked in surprise. I hadn't noticed its presence.

The werewolf sniffed the air, checking for the scent of fear I guessed. But it must have found none, for it scrunched up its nose in confusion and looked at me curiously, it's head tilted sideways as if asking a silent question.

I tiled my head the same way and giggled a little; we probably looked funny, just staring at each other with our heads turned sideways like that. The werewolf must have thought the same thing, for we both began to chuckle lightly at the same time, then glance at each other in surprise to see that the other was laughing too. I smiled hesitantly at the werewolf, holding out a hand for him to shake. He stared at it for a very long moment, taking it into considerable thought, before placing his furry and dangerous claw into my hand as we shook.

"It's nice to meet you." I whispered to the werewolf. It sat there for a silent moment, mentally translating what I had said. Then it came up with a response, and had to sit there to translate that. Since I already knew what it was doing, I was very patient with the werewolf.

"It's a pleasure indeed." he said quietly in return, his deep and rich voice penetrating my very soul and making me smile. Suddenly, I could hear the elf maiden's voice in my mind. _Trust only those who your soul calls to._ I thought about it for a moment, and realized that this must be what it felt like to have your soul call to somebody. I memorized the feeling, and then realized I could truly trust this werewolf.

"What is your name?" I asked him quietly, my eyes staring up into his as we both crouched there, staring at one another. He released my hand as he thought about it, and it didn't take as long as last time for him to respond.

"Nyvern, of the Mountain Howler Pack. Who are you?" he asked, his rich voice filled with a deep accent that sounded just right for him.

"I'm Ayla, a loner in my world. Guarded by The Light, but haunted by fierce shadows." I told him in my lilting voice, my eyes glowing slightly to reflect my mention of The Light. The werewolf nodded slowly as he translated what I had said. I tried to think of what to say next when the werewolf supplied his own question.

"You're not frightened?" he asked quietly. I smiled and shook my head at Nyvern, placing my small hand on his big furry shoulder.

"I'm not at all frightened, just curious. I'm sorry if I somehow scared you away last night. What made you leave in such a hurry?" I asked him quietly. He was much quicker now at translating my words, and retranslating his own quickly thought answer. The conversation was flowing normally by now.

"There is a deep magic within you, but unlike one I have ever seen before. It traces back to the very source of all magic, using the very white light itself to hold powers. It's a very strong weapon against creatures as dark as I, yet I could still sense a part of me within you. If I hadn't sensed that darkness in you, I would have never left the cover of the trees." he admitted in a slightly abashed voice. I smiled to him.

"So, I have The Light, and a Darkness that connects me to you? That's fairly incredible." I told him. He grinned in a strangely wolfish way and moved a little closer to me, resting in a crouch at my side as he stared up at the full moon.

"You know," he said in a voice filled with wistfulness, "I remember what it was once like to be a werewolf as young as you are as a human. Everything was instinct, except for the beautiful Moon Goddess. Staring up at her, hanging in the night sky, always gave me that sense of clarity and justice that I needed when shape-shifted. Even tonight, she has been helping me." he told me as I looked up with him.

I nodded quietly. "I've always felt a connection with her, and felt the magnetic pull one gets from her glowing face. I have often longed to run beneath the moon each night and sleep each day, for the freedom and beauty of the darkness." I admitted in a whisper. The werewolf turned his head down from the sky to look at me. I looked back.

"Do you wish to have all of that? The life of a true werewolf is just as you described, though probably not right away." he admitted. I smiled.

"I do wish I could have all of that; it sounds wonderful. I just don't know if I'd be strong enough." I admitted to him, my head turning down. One clawed finger rested under my chin, raising up my gaze to the sympathetic werewolf.

"You can have it all you know. I can change you." he whispered to me. I nodded slowly, thinking on it long and hard.

"The Werewolf's Kiss." I whispered with a small smile. The werewolf nodded slowly, somewhat surprised by my knowledge. After a moment though, I sighed sadly and shook my head.

"No, not yet. I want to be changed, but not for a little while longer. I have responsibilities now that I've joined this family. In a year or two, I'll be free and on my own, able to make my own decisions. When that time comes, I will ask you to change me. That is if you're still around." I told him quietly. He nodded with a small wolfy smile.

"I'll always be around; you've made a great friend in the Mountain Howler Pack tonight. For as long as you and I are both alive, I shall keep a close watch on you. You will always be protected now." he said, smiling. I smiled too.

"But what shall you do if one day I must leave this valley, and travel to distant places where life is so different? What if something causes me to flee this place for my life? I could never ask you to leave your homeland for me." I told him, ducking my head again.

Surprisingly, Nyvern began to chuckle. He chuckled quietly for a moment before saying "You know quite a bit about our way of life little one, but there's one thing you missed in your research. Werewolves are natural nomads. We prefer to travel and seek adventure, though we often settle from time to time in large packs on different corners of the continent. I would gladly follow you no matter where you go, though you might not see me in werewolf form for a while if that were the case." he said, thinking about it seriously.

I smiled and surprised the werewolf by giving him a heart-felt hug. He stiffened in shock at first, but soon returned it gently, for fear of crushing me. I pulled back and said in my lilting voice "Now I've made a true friend and companion, one I know I can trust. Thank you." I told him quietly. He relaxed completely as I said that.

"You're very welcome, and thank you as well. My life needs a little more excitement and adventure, and this valley is looking pretty boring. Also, it is nice to have a friend who isn't a werewolf like me." he said. I grinned slightly, staring back up at the beautiful moon. He and I sat in silence for a moment before he muttered "Well, not yet anyways." Only then did I smile.

"How will I recognize you if you're in your human form?" I asked him. He thought about this for a moment and then seemed to have an idea.

"In your research, did you learn about the powers of the werewolf?" he asked me. I nodded hesitantly.

"Only barely. I learned that you did have powers, but there were no details on what those powers were." he nodded as well once I was finished.

"That's because every werewolf's powers are different, so they're very hard to categorize. The older the werewolf, the more powers he has. One of the many powers I have is one born in all werewolves; the ability to detect magic in people, places, and things. You're strange magic shines like a beacon out here, which is why I arrived in your presence on your first night here, though you didn't see me then. It drew me in, and will probably draw other werewolf friends into your company as well. However, while I could sense your magic, I sensed a trinket in that house with a very different magic, one casted by a Shade." he told me.

I stifled my shock, and then suddenly remembered Durza slipping something into my bag on that day we were together. "I was once in the company of a Shade by the name of Durza, and I freed him of one of his evil spirits taking residence in him. He put a trinket in my bag before I left, but until now I forgot about it." I admitted to my werewolf companion.

He nodded for a moment before explaining to me, "That trinket in there was of his craftsmanship. It will act as somewhat of a guide and communicator for you. It also gives you the ability to see who you can trust and who you cannot. Think of it like a lie detector and a locator. If you get lost, you must simply speak words of power to it and it will give you the directions to go. If you are trying to see someone you've never met before but only know the name of, they will appear inside the depths of dark magic inside that amulet. If you ask it for Nyvern of the Mountain Howler Pack, my human and werewolf face will appear to you.

"Also, if you ask the amulet where I am, it will show you my location and how to get there from where you are when you ask the question. It's a very useful trinket, and also very rare. Don't ever lose it, and always keep it around your neck. Residing within it is also a power that will cast a shield around you and protect you if you are too weak to fight. The power from within it draws from the life sources around you, pulling the magic out of plants and animals and stones and the very air. The one who gave it to you must care deeply and must want you safe from harm." the werewolf commented quietly, explaining the Amulet to me.

I tried to stifle my shock, but failed. _I knew Durza asked me to be safe, but he really went to extremes for this. He must be so worried about me._ I thought to myself.

I nodded to Nyvern to let him know I understood. "At least now I'll be protected in more ways than one." I said. He smiled, and then became serious.

"Do you believe you shall have to flee from here so soon?" he asked me. I nodded to him.

"When I was given my power of The Light, a white spirit explained a prophesy to me. She gave me words of caution and protection, all of which end somewhere else, indicating a very long journey. Also, I've been haunted each night in my dreams by dark spirits. Both of them prophesized great struggles ahead, but I got the sense that I wouldn't be staying here for very long. A month or two perhaps, though I'm unsure. The darker spirit said my death would 'Come on swift wings, in shades of day so pure she will not see her danger until it is too late'. I recited for him.

He sat in puzzlement for a very long moment, thinking about what I had said. "That's a very familiar prophesy, one I have heard before." I turned my surprised face in his direction.

"Werewolves have more than a few magicians of their own, ones that see all the prophesies in the world. Ones that see the future and _create_ the very prophesies that are spoken to mortals. You heard one that I'm familiar with. As I recall from it, it involved a woman having to choose between the death of one she loved and her own death. I remember now, she chose her own death and her killer was the Bringer of Peace, though I cannot recall who or what he was." Nyvern admitted to me. I nodded slowly, absorbing the new information.

"Well, it's another puzzle I shall have to riddle out. In the meantime, I'm getting fairly tired and would like to go to sleep, even if it does mean facing those shadow spirits again." I told him, sighing unhappily. Nyvern gave me a small smile.

"I will return here each night to spend time with you; you are a very curious and interesting friend, and I enjoy your strange company. I shall speak about you with my pack for more guidance. Until we meet again Ayla, I bid you a fair night." he said, bowing humbly. I giggled and waved farewell to him as he howled and took off into the forest, other howls from far off echoing his call.

I stepped back inside the front door, as quiet as a mouse. I tiptoed over to my small bag in the corner of the room and dug around inside. At one point, my hand touched something that was unusually warm, and I pulled it out. It was the Amulet, and it was letting off a faint purple glow from its center, where inside of it was swirling mists of dark purples and blacks. Around the encased swirling mists was a large flat metal ring that held the stone together and was carved on it runes from the language of a Shade.

No one else would recognize it, or be able to translate it except for Durza himself, and maybe a few other dark creatures. I stared at it in awe and then wondered how I would hide what it truly was when it was on my neck.

I mentally touched the Amulet's power with my white light, and used my white light as a translator to command the mists. _Hide your power from all but the one who wears this Amulet around their neck unless the power is called upon by them. Disguise yourself from untrustworthy characters._ I commanded it. Not a single second passed before the amulet transformed into a large dark Amethyst stone that stared out with its power hidden inside. I looked at the stone and then touched it with the white magic again, saying in mind speech _Show me Nyvern as a werewolf._

The stone transformed again before my eyes back into the swirling nimbus of dark purple, and then was suddenly transformed to show Nyvern running through the trees at night, howling with joy at the full moon above the tree tops. I smiled and tapped it with the white magic again and it solidified back into a simple stone held encased inside of a metal ring covered in strange ruins. I smiled and tied the leather cord it hung on around my neck, feeling satisfied.

With that done, I grabbed the blanket and lied down on the couch, falling into the first peaceful slumber I'd had in days.


	15. Search and Rescue Encounters

**Chapter Fifteen**

The next morning, I awoke refreshed and rejuvenated, feeling well-rested and happy. I felt an unfamiliar weight on my neck and glanced down in panic, then sighed in relief. It was just the Amulet, hanging around my neck where it should be. I sat up and glanced out the window in the kitchen at the sun that was just barely starting to rise. Sighing happily, I got up and got ready for the day.

Today, I decided I'd wear my second outfit, the dark brown one with gray fur lining it all and with brown bracer cuffs on my wrists. I brushed out my hair and let it fall over my shoulders, putting the leather headband in my hair to hold it back. I put my green cloak on and my brown ankle boots. Satisfied that I was at last presentable for the day, I set about making breakfast. When the boys emerged from their rooms after the sun had fully risen, I had made a breakfast of beef jerky meat and warm biscuits. Roran and Garrow ate quickly before going out into the fields for another day of work.

Today was the third day Eragon had been gone from home on the hunt. It was his last day to hunt the trails before he had to start making his way back. _I just hope the hunt is going alright up in those mountains for him._ I thought to myself as I began to clean up Roran and Garrow's rooms, since I cleaned Eragon's room yesterday. After that, I prepared dinner and placed it in the small oven to keep it warm all day. I still had a couple of hours until I needed to start making lunch, so I sat on the couch and read from the 'Domia abr Wyrda'.

Two hours later, I had gotten all the way to Chapter Twelve in my huge history book when I decided I should start to prepare a lunch for the two men. I went out back and cut down some rabbit meat that had been brought in a few days ago and cooked that up for lunch, along with some beans. When the noon sun was high up in the sky, the two men came in and ate quickly and quietly, speaking in muted tones. Not too much later, they went back out into the fields.

I cleaned up the kitchen after eating a small bit of rabbit and went to get my things. I put on my belt of knives and hung my swords on my back, putting my cloak over them and my quiver of arrows, with my bow inside, over it. I deemed myself ready and went out the front door to head down to the barn for Karnus.

When I entered through the barn doors, I was surprised to see that Karnus wasn't in his stall. I looked at the door and saw the wood was splintered in a few places; Karnus had busted himself out of there. I looked around and studied the ground outside his stall closely, picking up his tracks. I looked outside the barn door and was able to see Roran and Garrow far away from me, so I knew it was safe.

I mentally grabbed hold of my white magic and commanded the stone to transform back into its misty form. As I did this, I thought of short word commands that I could speak to get it to work right. "Garn't'lem!" I commanded sternly. The misty Amulet transformed back into an Amethyst stone. I was beyond pleased.

"Sharl'oman!" I commanded sternly. The stone transformed back into its misty Amulet form. I smiled to myself. Now _that_ was some quality magic.

"Show me where my warhorse Karnus is." I commanded the Amulet aloud. After a moment, the dark purple mists began to swirl, and revealed my warhorse running through the forest not too far from here, chasing a man on foot. He was obviously angry, for my horse kept trying to run him down, only to have the man take sharp turns to try and get away.

If I had fur, it would have been bristling with anger. _Nobody messes with my horse and gets away with it!_

"Show me how to get to him!" I commanded the Amulet quickly. The mists swirled and then parted again, showing how the world would look if you were flying high in the air. It zoomed in on the area around Carvahall and showed me as an orange figure, and a couple miles away were Karnus and the man, heading for the base of the Spine. I dropped the Amulet so it hung around my neck the way it was supposed to and let its power flood into me, so that I could _feel_ which way I was supposed to go, and how close they were.

I took one look at Brugh and knew he wasn't strong enough, though Birka was young and barely an adult horse. He'd have plenty of energy for the run. I ran to Birka's stall and opened the door, jumping up onto his bare back and grabbing his lead rope which was attached to the halter he was wearing. I grabbed fistfuls of his mane as well to hang onto and started tapping his sides to get him out of his stall and charging out of the barn, going deep into the forest behind me. Birka was pretty fast, though not as fast as Karnus was, nowhere near. Still, it was faster than running on foot.

Using the Amulet's guidance powers, I followed the trail deep into the forest. I was nearing the base of the Spine when I could tell I was getting close. The metal of the Amulet began to grow warmer and warmer. Soon, it felt like it was burning me, but when I actually touched it the metal was cool.

I followed the trail to the very base of the mountains and faintly heard Karnus. I kicked Birka's sides and he charged off towards the sound, running as fast as he could. When we got near, Birka stopped and reared, the whites of his eyes showing. He was afraid.

I calmed him down and hopped off of his back, keeping a firm hold on his lead rope. I walked beside him as I followed the sounds of my angry warhorse. I could see a clearing ahead, at the base of the mountain. As we got closer, I heard the sound of Karnus' hooves striking on rock and much growling and snarling. I tied Birka's rope to a nearby branch and continued on foot, pulling my swords out and having them ready.

I stepped quickly into the clearing and was surprised. Karnus had his back up against the rock wall of the mountain's base, flailing his hooves to keep his many enemies away. He was frightened, but I could see in his eyes that he was also furious. I was overly surprised too.

Surrounding him was a pack of werewolves in their shape-shifted form.

When I had stepped into the clearing, none of the beasts had noticed me. One was closing in on Karnus when I yelled "Hey! Leave my horse alone!"

All the werewolves stopped and turned to look at me, their dark eyes glowing dangerously. None of them took the time to translate what I had said, but they simply turned around and started stalking towards me. I looked at their somewhat distorted features and realized that these werewolves were all very young, and probably not very bright. They were living only on werewolf instinct, and that was bad. That meant I wouldn't be able to communicate with them.

I gulped quietly. Crap.

I raised my swords in warning and then realized what I should be doing instead. I put my swords back in their scabbards on my back and searched deep down inside myself for the white magic. Calling upon its power, I gave it a simple command. _Show these werewolves that I bring peace and friendship, not trouble._

My white magic searched and found multiple ways to make this happen. I chose one and threw part of the magic into the air, moving with the flow simply because it felt natural to. The white magic enveloped me and then a large stream of it broke off. I made it weave through the air, and everything it touched caused new life to grow and bloom there. When it touched the werewolves, they all stopped and stared, comprehension and human compassion filling their eyes.

After a moment I drew the white magic stream back into me, so my aura glowed as never before. Then, it slowly faded away, going back down into the well in my body to restore the magic used and to keep my inner defenses up.

The werewolves, who had been on four legs before, now all stood up on two legs and regarded me calmly. I sighed in relief and smiled a little.

"Hello, my name is Ayla. I'm sorry if I may have startled you, but I knew you wouldn't hurt me. I just didn't want you to hurt my horse. Which pack are you from?" I explained and then asked them. They all looked at each other for a moment, consorting in their other language, and then one stepped forward to speak.

"I am Darlican. We are the youngest members of the Mountain Howler Pack. We're sorry if we frightened you, but we are not yet able to think as humans in our shifted forms. However, the magic you used may have saved us a lot of future trouble if the ability for us to think like humans is permanent." he introduced and told me. I nodded to him.

"It's permanent, and I hope it helps you in future hunts. I met another member of your pack last night, Nyvern." I told them. They all looked shocked.

"You're telling us that Nyvern left the mountain and went to speak with a human? A mortal human being? Even though you have strange magic, surely it was not able to call him down from the mountain. He never leaves the main cave." Darlican told me in a surprised voice. I raised an eyebrow.

"Did you not sense the white light of my magic, even in your shifted forms?" I asked him. He thought back for a moment, and then comprehension flickered in his eyes.

"I know I did. It frightened me, so I wasn't sure how to go about attacking you. Your light was made of the most powerful force I've ever seen; it's incredible." he told me. I nodded silently. We all stood around thinking for a moment before one of the others in the back of the group raised his voice.

"Let us take her to meet the rest of the pack. Perhaps she could be more useful than she realizes." the young werewolf suggested. The other werewolves parted so that he could walk forward. He appeared to be the smallest of the group, but I saw much wisdom hidden away in his eyes.

The others looked at each other, and then looked at me as one. I thought about it for a moment and then nodded my head silently to them.

"Good. We shall lead you up the mountain." Darlican told me. I held a hand out to stop him from moving for a moment.

"Wait. I have another horse back there that I had to ride to get out here in the first place. I'll need to take him back to the barn before I can go with you, and it'd be nice to get my warhorse's saddle." I told him. He slowly nodded to me.

"We will escort you back there, and then we shall take you to our main den, further up in the mountain and into the darker parts of our valley." Darlican told me. I nodded and jumped up on Karnus' back, following the five werewolves back towards home.


	16. Strange Company

**Chapter Sixteen**

On our way back we collected Birka, who was very unhappy to see the werewolves. Once I had calmed him down enough to be reasonable he went along willingly...almost. I still had to pull and tug him every once in a while. Eventually we made it back to the barn, where I had the werewolves wait in the forest out of sight. I led Birka back to the relative safety of his stall and got Karnus' saddle and bridle.

Once Karnus was all geared up with me on his back, he seemed much more confident around the massive werewolves surrounding him. With a nod in Darlican's direction, we raced off into the deeper and darker parts of the forest, travelling much faster now that Birka was safe at home. Within a couple hours, we had reached the part of the woods where the trees were deeper and lusher in feeling.

I looked around in a sense of awe. I thought the woods were natural before, but everything around here just felt so _free_. I could feel the wild wind running through my hair, I could smell the trees and the grass as fresh as if a rain had just passed, and the natural mist swirled around us like comforting hands trailing on soft skin. I inhaled deeply.

"No wonder why you have a den out here; this place is incredible." I told Darlican. He looked back with some surprise.

"So you feel it too?" he asked me. I cocked my head sideways in confusion.

"You feel the Earth as we do; the plants, air, and very mists seem alive and spinning to you." he clarified. I nodded, a smile growing on my face. One of the other werewolves looked amused.

"For not being a werewolf, you certainly possess most of our better qualities." he commented. I grinned shyly at him and he barked a laugh, hopping and frolicking around like a complete fool and making us all laugh with pure joy. After a minute though, he stopped abruptly and got back into his place in our grouping system.

"We're here." Darlican whispered quietly. I sat up straighter in my saddle and looked around with cautious and curious eyes. The mist began to even out around us, and soon it felt more like a thick curtain of safety. All of a sudden, we stepped out of that curtain into a large clearing at the base of the mountain. Eyes of every single shade and color were glowing from the shadows of the craggy mountain-side.

This side of the mountain was mostly cliffs and scattered boulders, and the mountain wall was full of many small caves, all surrounding a much larger cave in the center of the mountain wall. I could see a naturally formed path cut out from the cliff face that went up the mountain's wall towards the main cave. I assumed all the smaller caves reconnected with the larger one somewhere deep inside, but I was curious. _If it wasn't, how did they reach the other caves?_

As I wondered about that, I also began to notice several shadows detaching from the mist and joining our group as we made our way on towards the caves up on the mountain side. Our group was now twenty werewolves large, with Darlican and me in the front. Many of the werewolves up in the caves poked their heads out to watch our progress with curiosity.

As I looked around, I began to notice exactly how different each werewolf was from one another. It was obvious who the younglings were, and the elders were wiser in their judgmental eyes. The teenagers were curious and leaping to do stupid and amazing things, such as walking beside me. Those who had just started to gain control held caution in their thoughts as they struggled to control the urge to attack.

There were so many different shades of fur here too, the coats ranging in size, color, shape, length, and texture. There were werewolves with short fuzzy black coats and buff muscles; there was a female werewolf with a light brown coat with long fur and thinner muscles. Blonde, white, black, light brown, dark brown, chestnut, red, gray, spotted, striped, swirled, long-haired, short-haired, fuzzy, soft, rough, thin, thick, buff, skinny, tough, weak, old, young... it all blended together into one large werewolf community.

Also, the clothes the werewolves all wore showed their human personalities. Some wore simple dresses or slacks, but others wore exotic outfits from distant lands and outfits that had never before seen the light of day in this world. It was amazing what they all wore. I looked at the clothes of my original five companions and noted that they were all relatively the same; plain and nondescript outfits, but in different colors for each of them.

We had reached the base of the mountain by now, and the bottom of the natural path. Darlican led the way up the slope and we all followed, the werewolves coming up behind Karnus and I in pairs. Karnus and I both glanced back as one and then gave each other a look that said _This could be bad._

Karnus gave me a worried glance before turning his head back around and following Darlican up the slope to the main cave. When we reached it, I was in awe of its true size. From the outside, all you saw was a cave smaller than my living room, but when you stepped behind that first rock wall you were inside something as large as a Coliseum.

I stared around in awe. Cliff-face upon cliff-face met here and created large platforms of rock circling all the way around the colossal room. Upon those platforms were many werewolves, and more were racing in to take their places on the tiers. All the werewolves howled as one, as if sending out a signal of calling to the others. As I looked at all the werewolves, I estimated there to be at least 2,500 werewolves waiting on the rock platforms, and more were racing in from branching cave entrances every second.

I stared in awe at the masses. I'd never heard of an animal grouping so large. The only other time a group so large had lived together was in a city or for an army massing for war, but this was no army. It was a werewolf city, and I was only on the front doorstep. When the tiers had filled up, other werewolves came to watch and stand off to the sides, choosing places to stand on all fours or two feet on the ground. The werewolves in our party split away from us except for the original five, choosing to stay with me other than their pack-mates.

I was in complete awe, and complete happiness. I felt the white light within me flare up briefly in response and saw the werewolves around me flinch back in mistrust. I calmed down my white magic and they went back to their normal stances, their muscles still tensed up and their faces distrustful.

Darlican led me to the other side of the huge ring, where one raised platform was larger than all the rest, and was seated by only one werewolf. This werewolf wore a gold collar of jewels around his neck, and had golden bracers on his wrists. I couldn't see his face, for he was looking behind him at something. Darlican stopped Karnus and I a certain distance away and Darlican announced us, as though we were in a court of some kind.

"This magic user and her steed requested to be brought before you to be introduced to our pack and swear eternal friendship after a certain misunderstanding today. We escorted her here under the influence that it was the right thing to do." Darlican told the golden-collared werewolf whom I still couldn't see.

"Does this...human...have a name?" the werewolf asked in a deep and rich voice. My ears perked up a little. I knew that voice.

"Turn around so that I may see your face." I commanded the werewolf. The other werewolves began to mutter amongst themselves, but I paid no attention to them. I was focused solely on the golden-collared wolf, whom I assumed to be their leader. The chief of this massive werewolf pack.

The werewolf hesitated for a moment, and then slowly turned to reveal who he truly was. I gasped quietly when I saw his face. I knew this man, this werewolf. My soul had connected with his so effortlessly the night before. Suddenly, I remembered what the elf maiden had said before: _"Your fate is already twined with the higher figures of the future, though they themselves don't yet know it."_ And yet, I knew it now.

"Nyvern?" I asked quietly. The werewolf raised his head completely and stared at me in utter shock, and then let out a howl for complete joy. The pack echoed him in some confusion, but Nyvern was already on the move. He had leaped down from his perch high up in the rocks and landed on the ground with an effortless beauty, running towards me on four legs and then standing up on two as he reached Karnus.

He went to the side of Karnus and pulled me from my saddle and into his arms, laughing and spinning me around in circles.

"I knew it had to be you! I knew it Ayla!" he told me, laughing with pure joy. I laughed to, holding onto him with a big smile on my face. He stopped spinning and set me down on my feet, holding me steady so I didn't tip over. I was a little dizzy by now.

"Nyvern, I don't believe it! You're the werewolf chief? Of this entire pack? Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him in disbelief. He sighed a little.

"I didn't want you to see me as some form of royalty; I wanted you to see me as a normal person. A normal werewolf without responsibilities or titles. And I think I've accomplished that." he said, giving me a hopeful grin. I full-out smiled to him.

"You'll always be just Nyvern to me; no fancy titles will exist in my mind." I told him, winking. He laughed heartily and gave me a crushing hug, still being careful of my weak human body. He set me back down and then grabbed my hand.

"Come! You must see our glorious city of werewolves! You're a member of this pack now. Ayla the Loner is no more. You are now Ayla of the Mountain Howler Pack!" he said, his voice rising in level and booming out into the stadium. All the werewolves howled up into the sky, and for the pure feeling rippling through me I joined them, howling together. Nyvern stopped his howling to look down at me in some shock, and I stopped with a blush, keeping quiet.

"For a moment, I thought you were another wolf-sister like me, and I became confused. You were born with the werewolf inside of you Ayla; I think you know that now. All you have to do is say the word, and I'll let it out of you, into freedom." he offered quietly, a light shining into his eyes. For a moment I thought about it, warring within myself when suddenly my white light flared up. All the werewolves but Nyvern took many steps back, watching the white tendrils floating around my body and creating an aura of protection.

Suddenly, the aura rippled, and the white elf maiden stepped out of its light, standing before me and the werewolves. The werewolves all gasped quietly at the sight of such a beautiful and pure elf and many began to weep from the beauty. She looked around at them all before her eyes focused on me. Her ancient and penetrating voice bore deep into my soul as she spoke to me again.

_"Ayla, you're faced with more than one difficult choice in this life. While you fear what taking on such a responsibility would do to you, it may help save you in the end. You will need the power of the strongest werewolf to keep you going, and your soul will need its limitless freedom in order to survive. The white magic inside of you will only grow stronger and freer if you were to take on the powers of the werewolf._

_"However, be warned. While the magic will give you control over your form, it will not take away any pain you feel when shifting into a werewolf, and you will have responsibilities to your pack as well. It is a heavy burden, but one that you would be able to carry with ease, and even laughter. Choose what your soul tells you to, and keep close to those that your soul calls out to in the day and, more importantly, in the night._

_"Also Ayla, remember my earlier warnings. You will still need them in the days to follow. And before long, you shall be fleeing from here for your life, following two strange humans to distant lands where you shall be a part of the higher leaders of the future, and not just in the werewolf community as you have now met. Farewell Ayla, and keep your pack close to you. Danger is following in your footsteps."_ And just like that, she stepped back into the aura of light and it all disappeared, fading back into my soul where it lied in wait.


	17. Conversations and Changes With The Chief

**Chapter Seventeen**

The werewolves all waited in silence for a moment before they began to speak amongst themselves. Everyone quieted instantly as Nyvern looked at me with strange new eyes and asked "Will that be your decision then? Do we get the most powerful pack-sister that this world has ever been blessed to bear witness to?" I stared deep into his eyes that reminded me so vividly of the wild side of the night, the greenish-yellow color stirring something within my soul.

I took and deep breath and nodded my head with a smile. "Yes Nyvern, let me join your pack as a true werewolf. Let my soul be free." I whispered the last part, but all the werewolves seemed to hear it anyways. All the werewolves howled together, their voices rising in octave as Nyvern and I joined them. The exultation was incredible, and the feeling was able to be tasted in the very air of the caves.

With a smile, Nyvern led me into one of the inner rooms of the caves, going deep in until we'd made it to a very small secluded room with nothing in it. He closed the door so that he and I were alone in the room, and then walked over to the other side of the small room. I wondered what he was doing, when he slid back a secret panel to find a small brass key laying inside of it. He pulled the key out and closed the rock panel, opening another panel similar to it in the very center of the wall.

Inside this panel was a strangely shaped hole, and it took me a moment to realize it was a lock hidden in the wall. _But why would a lock be there of all places?_ I wondered to myself.

Nyvern gave me a secretive smile and fit the brass key into the lock, turning it slowly. As he did, a series of clicks and mechanical whirrs followed. I gaped in awe as the stone began to slide open and a hidden room was revealed. Nyvern gestured for me to enter first and I blinked at him slowly. I looked around everywhere as I stepped inside, and was amazed by what I saw.

"Being the werewolf chief does have its perks, of course." Nyvern commented as he stepped inside behind me. I glanced back just as the stone door closed up into a regular wall again. I gazed around the large room and began to wonder to myself, _How do you keep something this big a secret?_

The room was mostly in the style of the elves, with columns and tiers of white. There was as small half-flight of marble stairs, and the marble continued across the lower floor, going shade by shade of marble into a dark gray that surrounded a pure white stone fountain in the center of the room, with the purest water cascading through it. Along the walls were many vines and mosses, and different plants were scattered around the room and over the tiles, as if the forest had moved into the caves themselves.

On the other side of the room with the large fountain was a wall of vines, through which a large bedroom could be seen. Across from it was another wall of vines, where an office and library was visible. I smiled to myself. This place was truly amazing.

Nyvern walked down the half-flight of marble steps and went to a lounge chair on the right wall of the room, laying back in it comfortably and looking perfectly at ease. As a werewolf, Nyvern fit perfectly into the lifestyle of this place. I smiled to myself as Nyvern closed his eyes and relaxed completely.

I hesitantly stepped down the small steps and walked towards the fountain, dipping my hand into the cool, clean water. Suddenly, the parts of my hand that had touched the water began to glow white. I raised my hand up and felt new life and energy pouring into my form. I gasped in amazement.

Nyvern slowly opened his eyes with a serene smile on his face. "You fit into this place perfectly, especially with your strange magic." He told me, his eyes running over my figure with some amusement.

"Will anyone else, other than the werewolves, be able to detect or somehow find out what I am?" I asked him. Nyvern quickly shook his head.

"No, the only way someone who isn't a werewolf will be able to find out what you are is if they see you shift from human to wolf, or vice-versa. No werewolf would ever be able to betray you either, so there aren't any worries there." He said, a small smile lighting his features. I sighed in relief.

"How do you think we managed to keep our existence a secret for so long Ayla? We're a very careful race." He told me. I nodded slowly before looking back down into the water.

"How did you manage to hide the power in that Amulet of yours? No one felt it, and I only know what it is because I found out about it before anyone else has." He commented, his curiosity burning.

"My white magic is able to connect with the Amulet, so I was able to fully command it. I commanded it to hide its true form from everyone except me, and it changed shape. It's an overly useful Amulet." I explained. He nodded with a smile.

"You're well protected now, luckily. I wonder if your Light will allow you to have complete control over your werewolf form, giving you a human mind. If it does, then you'll be very blessed indeed. Those that change into a werewolf look back upon our early days with a shudder." He said, flinching slightly.

I stood from the fountain and walked over to him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder to quell his despair. He looked up at me with faint hope shining in his eyes and I gave him a small smile. He slowly stood from his chair, embracing me softly.

"I can't wait to change you; then I'll be able to give you a real hug." He whispered. I could feel him smiling into my shoulder.

I smiled into his chest, my body betraying me as I began to tremble. Nyvern pulled back and held my face between his large furry hands.

"There's no need to be afraid. You won't even recognize the pain for what it is; you will feel only pleasure, I promise you." He whispered in my ear. I nodded slowly, still afraid. Nyvern's furry hands trailed down my sides to my waist where he began to slowly lift up the bottom of my leather shirt.

He removed my cloak and weapons in the process somehow, and when my top was bare he placed a gentle kiss on my lips, whispering "You'll be fine young one." And with that said, he bit sharply into my chest, right above my beating heart.

I gasped with pain, feeling the werewolf's venom flowing through my veins and rushing into my heart. I didn't even feel Nyvern pull back, but when he did he must have grabbed my shirt. I felt the fabric slip back over my shoulders as he put my shirt back on, and I felt the familiar weight of my cloak and weapons as well.

I felt my body changing, and if I thought about it I knew I would feel the pain. Yet I didn't. All I could feel was ecstasy, and complete pleasure. I laughed aloud as my bones began to reshape themselves, and my muscles strengthened and lengthened. My skull was reforming itself, turning into a snout as my teeth and nails became razor sharp.

Through the transformation I felt my mind trying to shift into nothing but complete instincts, but instead the white light within me worked to build in the gaps that would have taken years to fill in the natural amount of time. My mind completed its link between werewolf and human, and when it was done I knew my transformation was complete.


	18. Welcome to Carluo Dieun

**Chapter Eighteen**

The first thought in my head was _That was a lot faster than I expected, and that was only my first time._ I thought about this for a moment before realizing that my eyes were still closed. I slowly opened them, and was completely unprepared for what I saw.

The room hadn't actually changed, but the way I saw it did. I was shocked at how much I was missing in my human sight.

The colors in the leaves and tiles were dull and plain compared to what I saw now. Everything jumped out in a new vibrancy and held a new meaning. My hearing was greatly excelled too; new sounds floated on the misty air of this temple-like room. The smell of stone, water, and plants filled my nostrils with great clarity, and I could smell where everything in this room was, even with my eyes closed.

I smiled to myself as I once again opened my eyes. It was wonderful. I glanced down at myself and was filled with a shock. I was most definitely a werewolf now, no question asked.

My fur was of the perfect length, not thin or short, but semi-long and flowing for convenience. My long hair had transformed as that of all female, and male, werewolves had. It was an uprising ridge in my fur, and ended at my hips by the indent in the bottom of my back. My nails had grown out to claws that were perfectly filed to sharp points, and the thick leathery skin under my fur was tougher than anything I'd ever felt before. Normal metals wouldn't be able to pierce me.

My legs had lengthened and gotten much stronger, with no fat left on my body. I was made up of nothing but muscle. The balls of my feet had gotten harder and larger, turning into a paw that still had the back half of a foot, all covered in the fur. My arms were just as long as my legs, and the new angles my back could move to would allow me to run on all fours with ease.

I surveyed the color of my fur with some surprise. My fur was the same rusty color as my hair, but it was inlaid with highlights of gold and white, blending together harmoniously. I looked at myself in the fountain of water and smiled. My clothes and gear corresponded and harmonized perfectly with my new fur and body. The clothing had reshaped to fit my changing form, probably part of the magic of the werewolves.

I was truly a member of the pack now, and I was loving it more and more with each passing second. I turned around to see Nyvern watching me with cautious eyes, but he soon saw his caution was unnecessary when he saw the intelligence I held.

"Oh Nyvern, this is amazing! I can't believe I'm actually a werewolf now! Thank you!" I said, grasping him in a tight hug. He gasped a little and I pulled back in confusion.

"You're hugs are a lot stronger now Ayla, try to remember that." He said, popping his back. I grinned guiltily. He grinned and winked at me before clasping my furry hand in his and leading me back towards the stone door. We walked through it and it swung shut behind us.

Before we stepped out of the small room we were both in, Nyvern gazed into my eyes with his yellowish-green ones and blinked many times in surprise. "All werewolves eyes reflect who they truly are, but yours are the first I've seen like this. They're a spectral blue, and often times they begin to glow a slight white light before going back to their spectral, crystal blue. 'Eyes like the bluest crystals of the sky'." He whispered the last part.

I smiled. "Poetry, Nyvern? I never would have guessed." I said, putting my hand on my cheek and feigning shock. He laughed heartily as he opened the door and we stepped out into the werewolf city.

"The hidden, underground werewolf City of 'Carluo Dieun'; the City of Howler Blood." Nyvern whispered in my ear. I gasped at the beauty that was laid out before me.

The underground city was huge! I was standing in a large hallway with white marble columns going straight up to hold up the rock above us. Up above I could see more levels of the city, with thousands of other werewolves going about their daily lives in human and shape-shifted form.

This was exactly like other large cities in the world. There were auctions, inns, shops, houses, libraries, cafes, restaurants, citadels, places of worship, meeting places, open market streets, places that sold linens, cavernous hallways filled with treasures and food and armor, catwalks that spanned from building to building, and from walkway to walkway. Small tunnels were in the sides of the main cavern that led to secret passageways from one section of the city to another.

Herbalists, alchemists, tailors, leather workers, hunters, famers, carpenters, cobblers, butchers, jewel crafters, butlers, masons, metal smiths, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, wheelwrights, wainwrights, chandlers, bakers, librarians, bankers, tavern keepers, political leaders, armories, weapon crafters, magicians, sorcerers, shamans, druids, warriors, animal trainers, rogues, warlocks, paladins, priests, boaters, trinket sellers, engineers, technicians, laborers, common workers, foreign traders, and errand runners were to be seen walking down the streets and living their everyday lives with the practical ease of familiarity.

I looked around with wide eyes before Nyvern stopped me and pointed out each place as we went along. "Now then, the city is obviously well organized, so each trade belongs in a Quarter all on their own. This is the Main Hall, but if you'll look around you'll see that on the left and right sides there are multiple large archways leading into other halls larger than this one. From right to left, there is The Naturalist's Quarter, The Craftsman's Quarter, The Magic Quarter, The Trader's Quarter, The Market's Quarter, The Darkness Quarter, The Holy Quarter, The Warrior's Quarter, The Creative Quarter, and The Leader's Quarter."

All of the main archways were separated with even spaces between and went all the way around the vast circular Main Hall. The arches were all different from one another in relation to what was inside their Quarter. As the long day progressed, Nyvern showed me every part of the city, describing the layout of each Quarter and its inhabitants, along with other building facts and small bits of knowledge that only those in charge would know and understand.

"We'll start with the Naturalist's Quarter, on the far right." He said, leading me across the marble flooring of the Main Hall towards the first of the open archways. The archway itself was made of thick stone, and it even had small open windows in it, meaning the archway held inner rooms. I asked Nyvern about the structure work in the city and he answered all of my questions.

"Inside the arch is a multitude of smaller arches and small columns to support the stonework. There are wooden framings to it as well, and ladders go from level to level. Small windows help those inside, who stands as Archway guards, to warn the Quarter's inhabitants of any trouble coming their way before it is too late. If you'll notice, all of the archways have large stone doors that are able to be closed in case of an emergency. The doors are set on large metal hinges that are oiled every few months so that they don't rust." He explained.

As we went under the arch, I saw the heads of many werewolves watching us from inside the small windows. The arch was covered in small stone boxes filled with different types of small plants that seemed to prefer the near darkness to bright sunshine. At the top of the arch, the words 'Garlomphen's Quitrem' was carved into the stonework. Nyvern translated it for me into 'Naturalist's Quarter'.

As we stepped inside, the first thing that caught my eye was all the plant life within here. Somehow, the werewolves had managed to get different varieties of plant life to live in harmony together. It was practically another forest inside of here, but one with species of plants from all over the world. Nyvern pointed to the ceiling and then I understood why. There was a thirty foot in diameter section of the ceiling made of clear quartz, and it traveled all the way up to the surface of the mountain to collect sunlight and filter it down in a bright beam into the cave.

On the walls were small crystals and quartz imbedded into the rocking, collecting the light from off of the ceiling tunnel and spreading it around in various shades of blues and purple, giving the Quarter a very peaceful and tranquil feeling. That, mixed with plants that automatically gave anyone who smelled them a feeling of rejuvenation and peace, caused this to be the most peaceful part of the City.

In the center of the Quarter was a large green field, with a large Willow Tree at its center. Surrounding this field was the many trees and bushes, with small flowers and other strange plants growing in between them. I looked up the trunks of the huge trees and was surprised to see buildings and wooden houses sitting perched in the boughs. The trees' branches were curled around homes and shops up high to keep them steadily supported.

On the ground, the stone shops and houses that were built out from the side of the cave walls were flowing with vines and mosses, making everything seem very green. Most of the stone in here was of a white marble texture, and it gave you that feeling of purity. Looking at the Quarter, you could see hallways disappearing back into the cave walls. A little curiosity discovered that they were small hallways that branched off into homes, stacked on top of one another.

The plant life didn't stay outside of the walls, but continued to flow into the hallways and into the homes of the people living there. On the walls of the back tunnels were different mosses and lichens that glowed in the darkness, giving off a green light that made sight easier. Most of the shops in the area were for herbalists, alchemists, druids, farmers, animal trainers, and shamans. These were the kind of people who lived off of the natural land, and preferred to use the wild for their lives instead of metal or brick.

Nyvern explained that each Quarter had an individual set of leaders that had to answer to the higher council of werewolves. Each Quarter had nine leaders, usually one for each profession or skill. In this Quarter, the leaders were one druid, one shaman, one herbalist, one alchemist, one farmer, one animal trainer, one biologist, one zoologist, and one healer.

Nyvern also explained to me that they had a large sewage system that had a purification spell casted on it by the mages from the mage Quarter, keeping the water down there fresh and clean, no matter what was dumped into it. That water was soaked up through small filters in the masonry and absorbed into the dirt and soil placed down in here for all the plant life, though stone walkways ran between certain areas.


	19. Craft, Magic, Trade, and Market Quitrem

**Chapter Nineteen**

Once I had gotten the general idea of Garlomphen's Quitrem, Nyvern showed me to the next Quarter on the list: 'Kareemph's Quitrem', or the 'Craftsman's Quarter'. The archway for this was made with the same basic foundation as the last Quarter, but instead of being covered in stone boxes full of plants it had metal working built into the foundations and was painted in the form of brick working.

When I stepped in, the difference between this Quarter and the last one was shocking. They were complete opposites, for there wasn't a plant in sight here. Five small stone towers had been built in a circle in the center of the Quarter, and in the center of that was a statue of a large anvil with a hammer on top of it. Each tower seemed to hold the offices for a specific form of craftsmanship. One dealt with metals, the next with bricks, the next with wood, the next with jewels, and the last with leather and linens.

Outside of the ring of towers was another and much larger ring, but it was made up of the stonework and walls that created the backs of the shops there. Every so often there would be a small archway that helped you to get to the street in between the shops that faced one another. The shops were organized by type and specifications, so that forgeries melted into brick working, which melted into wood working, which melted into jewel crafting, which melted into fabric working. The switch between each style of work was smooth and hardly noticeable.

The light in here was provided by various torches hung up on the walls. There were shafts cut out of the ceiling as a sort of ventilation, and the excess smoke and gases would funnel up these shafts to the surface. Cut out of the stone along with these shafts were stairs that followed the shafts' progress, so that workers could go up and check for breaks or decay in the upper stonework.

Instead of having tunnels cut back into the rock wall as the last Quarter had done, these had the homes cut out from the rock face, creating an entire section of the wall into home after home. The front doors of each house was visible this way, as the houses were cut out of stone right above the other ones. In front of the houses were large stone walkways, supported below by structures that jutted out from the walls and held them up. At equal intervals, stone stairways had been built for people to get up and down from the cliff face.

Also, on the ground floor level, there was a great many pillars set at equal intervals for decoration and flair. On the upper levels, there were less pillars, but they were still there behind the large white railing that ran along the edge of the walkways. In all, there were four levels of houses, and they went around the span of the room at equal intervals for each level, with ten to twelve feet between each house on its left and right sides.

The nine leaders for this Quarter was one blacksmith, one stone mason, one chandler, one engineer, one leatherworker, one tailor, one miner, one jewel crafter, and one common laborer. New leaders were chosen every three years to take the new posts, though they were always the same professions in place.

Once we were done with 'Kareemph's Quitrem', Nyvern showed me to the next Quarter of the city, the 'Marglom's Quitrem', or the 'Magic Quarter'. The archway for this Quarter was covered in magical runes that signaled protection and power. As you stepped through the visible curtain of magic in the archway, you felt your skin tickle as the magic glided over you.

The vast Quarter was full of small globes of light that floated in the air called Wisps, who were small spirits that carried and delivered messages, as well as contained small magic of their own. The little lights were all over the place, floating down stairs or rising to the uppermost levels of the Quarter.

This particular Quarter had a very strange lay-out. The whole thing was created with magic, and crystals stored with magic power were glowing on the cave walls. At the top of the cave was something similar to the Northern Lights, lighting the cave in various colors. However, these 'Northern Lights' were actually made up of raw magical substances.

In the center of this Quarter was a single large tower, and at the top of the tower was a large round crystal, which was surrounded by the magical light the mages had created. Around the bottom of this large tower was a circular building that completely surrounded it, with open archways going through it to get to the central tower. I was told that the large circular building was the library, where all the books, scrolls, and runes were for casting spells and other small things.

Mages were, as a whole, very fond of books and learning, so many of them often became scholars as well. Apart from that, they were often scientists and great thinkers.

The way they had their Quarter set up was past unusual. Most of their houses were lined up out in the open, with houses stacked one on top of the other. Another strange thing about it though was that they had more of those houses underneath of the main section of the Quarter. Tunnels led underground at regular intervals where mages had casted permanent spells on special crystals to keep the pathways lit up. The underground tunnels held bigger houses with simply one story each, giving the inhabitants more room to spread out.

This also seemed to be the most organized Quarter in the city. The mages had a habit of needing perfection at its best, so they shaped the buildings and walkways to a rounded grid pattern that made them able to find their way around with ease; no back tunnels or hidden passages. It was a very useful trait to have.

The nine leaders of the Magic Quarter had been carefully chosen, since magic-users had a way of letting their powers corrupt them. The nine leaders consisted of one mage, one scholar, one scientist, one librarian, one alchemist, one sorcerer, one warlock, one psychic, and one fortune teller. Some of them don't sound important, but many strange things have been known to happen around werewolves.

When we left outside the arch, I took a deep breath. The feeling of magic in there was over-powering.

Nyvern led me to the next arch in the cycle, the 'Tlamite's Quitrem', or the 'Trader's Quarter'. The archway was covered in runes, symbols, and many words from other languages and places, calling forth the far-away cities and lands to join in trade. Of course, this was only calling forth the werewolves to join in trade, but that was a minor detail. As you stepped inside, you were blasted with the smells of exotic spices and scents that foreigners brought with them.

This was the always-shifting Quarter of the city, its inhabitants switching out constantly as visitors came to stay in homes and trade with one another, bringing parts of the ever-changing world with them. Tall houses and shops were laid out in a triangular grid pattern around the center point, which happened to be a large statue of a massive ship, setting sail for some distant land. The shops and houses were put side by side, and were two or three stories high for each one.

In the Trader's Quarter, nothing was ever the same twice. You could walk in there one day to see the front decorated in honor of the Surdian women, and the next day it would be covered in plants and spices, honoring Teirm's spice markets. The colors and people were always moving and hustling about, shifting their ways from one to another with each passing moment. This was the Quarter of constant movement; it was never truly quiet.

The houses were also carved out of the rocks and stacked against one another like any other cities homes were, but this section was also famous for a bit of paint. The houses started out plain, but when visitors arrived they would paint the outside and inside of the house, decorating it in clothes and bits of jewelry and other strange items.

One of the most difficult things concerning the Trader's Quarter is finding people who are there long enough to support a government. They finally decided to use one auctioneer, one tavern keeper, one boater, and one person from each of the six major areas in the world. This was usually One Surdian, one Ellesmerian, one Teirmian, one Farthen Durian, one Orthiadian, and one Uru'baenian. Once that had been decided, the Quarter moved on in peace. We left there quickly, eager to move on.

Now, it was time for the 'Nomool's Quitrem', or the 'Market's Quarter'. The archway was supposedly plain, but when you took a closer look you began to see pictures carved into the arch, though the pictures weren't colored. The pictures were mostly of food and baking, but many showed horses pulling carts, a woman taking jewelry, and a man buying a hatchet. Also, as you stepped under the archway, you began to realize why you didn't need anything special; the smell of the foods and spices would almost knock you off of your feet.

This was probably the most lively Quarter in the city, with people hustling about back and forth to buy things at low prices and make it home in time for supper. There were all kinds of wares here, there were wagons, horses, chickens, green foods, pots, plants, vases, silks, linens, jewelry, locks, poisons, weapons, pets, and fortune tellers. This was where the main of the businesses took place.

"Whenever people have wares they want to sell in a hurry, they tend to bring it to the market instead of waiting for people to amble into their territories." Nyvern muttered in my ear as we pushed our way through the crowd. The layout of the Market was very subtle and old-fashioned. In the center of the Quarter was a large fountain for penny tossing so wishes could be granted. Also in the center of the Quarter, at an equal spacing, was a large statue of a basket full of various items, the symbol for marketing.

Centered around the fountain and statue were all the large marketing stalls for the selling of goods. It was laid out in a rectangular format, and all the stalls were made up of wood framing and straw tops. The wares being sold inside varied greatly, and there was no real semblance of order in there. The nine leaders of the area were all chosen as overseers for the running and production of the market.

The homes for in the Market Quarter had been built around the outer walls of the Quarter, and then continued back in tunnels behind the walls, making three fourths of a ring of houses facing each other behind the large stone walls the made the inside of the main cavern. The Market was full of people bustling from place to place, and it took a very long time for us to escape from its tempting clutches. "You want some jewels? They look nice on a pretty lady!" I had laughed to myself before running off after Nyvern, on our way to the next Quarter of the humongous city.


	20. Darkness, and Holy Quitrem Appearances

**Chapter Twenty**

The next Quarter for us to visit was the 'Creental's Quitrem', also known as the 'Darkness Quarter'. This was where those who had a darker personality tended to live and sell their wares. It had the strangest of items found as well; cursed stones, skulls in jars, poisons to put on knives and arrows, and potions that could make a wailing spirit haunt your every step. This was the most violent Quarter, full of back alleys and dark passageways where many gang fights took place.

The archway was just like the others, only this one had blood smeared on it, with green goop flowing over the top into small puddles at the bottom. Its name was carved at the top, and darts had been placed in the largest cracks between the stones, dripping their poisons and warning all those who entered how dangerous this Quarter was. More than a few high-ranking officials had mysteriously disappeared in there.

The center of the Quarter had a statue on top of a black fountain filled with blood. The statue was of a skull with a knife imbedded into it, the red flowing out of the mouth and eyes of the skull. The fountain was in the center where the larger and only slightly brighter and cleaner alleys met together in a large circular area. The layout of the Quarter was very scatterbrained and informal, but it was the perfect home for cutthroats and thieves.

If you looked closely enough, there was a hidden pattern in the city's layouts. If you followed one of the main alleys away from the fountain, you'd always be face with a turn of left or right, which would then both turn their opposite directions to meet up again on the other side of blocks and buildings. All the alleyways were connected in some manner, though some were harder to see than others.

The walkways that had lights were lit with sickly green torches of flame, and the small canal of water that flowed through the Quarter was made of blood. Small bridges connected over the river to reach other homes and shops. There were stairwells that led to the further underground part of the Quarter, where another map of streets and alleys were laid out for those that preferred more privacy.

In this Quarter, the nine leaders consisted of one rogue, one poison specialist, one weapon specialist, one cutthroat, one gang leader, one apothecary, one dark sorcerer, one witch, and one dark warlock. These leaders were chosen to best represent the nature of the Quarter, and to help make the place live up to their standards. Of all the Quarters, this one had the happiest yet most cautious leaders, preferring dirty alleys to clean marble streets.

I stepped out of that arch, taking a breath of the fresh air in the Main Hall. The place didn't scare me, quite the contrary. I was completely intrigued with the Quarter, and I almost felt at home among all that blood and dark magic, which was surprising. I'd never casted dark magic, and I'd never been so very fond of pain and blood. Puzzled, I shrugged my furry shoulders and followed Nyvern into a Quarter that was the exact opposite of 'Creental's Quitrem'.

Nyvern shook out his fur a little and bent a little further down to my level, saying quietly in my ear "The Darkness Quarter and The Holy Quarter have always been neighbors, and have surprisingly kept good standards with the other, negotiating certain points occasionally." Looking at the archway entrance for the 'Selenca's Quitrem', one was filled with a certain sense of awe. The arch itself was of the whitest and purest marble in existence.

Carved into the arch were runes that spoke of prayers and blessing, granting refuge and shelter to all who entered this Quarter. Moons of all different shape, color, size, and detail were carved and painted onto the wall, and I didn't quite understand why. Stepping under the archway, the first thing you noticed about the Quarter was the beauty and serenity one felt in its presence.

The Quarter was lined with white walkways, where lush grasses filled with wildflowers of every kind were planted. In the center of the Quarter was a small clear lake, with lily pads and swan-shaped boats floating on its crystal-like surface. There was a small island in the center of the small lake, and on that island was the center of attention for the Holy Quarter; the Temple of the Moon Goddess.

The temple was dedicated to the Moon Goddess Hecate, also the goddess of justice and revealer of secrets. She was the mother of all werewolves, and all her children loved her dearly. She was also, in a sense, the werewolves' lover. All werewolves felt a certain pull towards sexuality as well as the strength and the ability to run free under the full moon. That's why many werewolves mated together when they met, just for the simple feeling of it. The passion, power, and lust were undeniable. One of the most important morals a werewolf lived by was to give into all their feelings.

The temple was made of white marble as well, and in order to get to it you had to cross over that part of the small lake on a large white stone bridge supported by beautiful columns. Just before the entrance doors of the temple, there was a large stone creation that made up the flooring, which was a tribute to Hecate in the shape of a moon, with words of love and devotion written around its outer edges.

To the left and right of the main temple were small gazebos made of tall columns and filled with plant life. Inside, a small spring flowed through each of them, giving the soothing sound of running water to those who wished to seek peace in its moonflower-filled structure. It was often used as a place to pray, and also for those who sought answers to find them on their own. However, most people seemed to prefer the main temple itself.

Inside the temple, there weren't any tiles or stones laid down to walk on for the ground floor. It was all fresh green grass, with moonflowers scattered around here and there. Werewolves were scattered around the room as well, sitting on the low white stone walls and benches, or gathering around the fountain sculpted in the image of Hecate standing in a pool of water. As I looked at her sculpted form, I felt confused. I felt sure that I had seen her somewhere before, in a dream perhaps. I discarded the thought, too preoccupied at that moment.

The place was beautiful, and on the other side of the small temple was a ramp of white stone and marble, curving in a spiral up to the second floor where people sat to watch those below, talk with friends, neighbors, priests, and priestesses, and to pray in groups or as a lone figure. The entire place was too precious for even the most sacred elf to step foot into; this temple was for those who served and loved Hecate.

I sat quietly on the thick siding of the fountain, trailing my hands in the cool clear water as I quieted my soul and listened. I could suddenly feel the presence of Hecate, and my power was flowing out of me into the water to make it glow a crystalline white. I felt almost as though I was in a dream, and I didn't really realize what I was doing. Feeling as though my movements were caused by someone else, I relaxed back and kept my mind clear.

I kept my eyes shut as I felt Hecate's form appear and survey the temple and its inhabitants. Most of the werewolves had seen the white glow and had turned in confusion, only to see their goddess standing before them in the glowing water and surveying her beautiful children with all the love and adoration in the world.

Hecate seemed to reach deep down into every werewolf's soul, and finally she looked down at me. I slowly opened my eyes and stared up at her, my love for my goddess finally complete as I realized how precious she was as our mother. As I stared at her, it suddenly clicked in my mind.

"It was you." I whispered to her. "You're the white elf maiden who's been protecting me in my dreams, who gave me the light and taught me its power. It was always you, mother." I whispered, watching her with amazement and love. She smiled down at me, nodding her head slowly as she pushed back a strand of my hair. For a moment, she changed to look just like the white elf maiden, and then changed back into our dear mother Hecate, still smiling calmly.

She held my face in her gentle hands and whispered quietly to me, "You shall now always be my child and lover forever. Make me proud daughter, and watch out for your brothers and sisters. We are a family, and we protect and love one another with no hate or greed. Thank you for calling me here child; my children needed me."

She trailed her hands down my cheeks and neck, placing them gently but firmly on my shoulders until she pulled back, stepping back into the statue's form and taking up its original pose, making the statue glow blue momentarily before she vanished. The glow slowly dissipated from the water, and I began to open my eyes and make sense of what I had just done. I small gasp escaped me as I saw all in the temple were staring at me with strange eyes.

After a moment, the werewolves began to walk towards me bit by bit, until they were surrounding me as we all stood together in one massive group, our bodies twined together as one as we howled up to the sky, showing Hecate our love. The last remnants of my sudden spiritual connection with Hecate were still fading, and I felt her approval. I _felt_ he smiling as she watched us. The werewolves pulled back again and went back to their business, often glancing around at one another and then back at the statue of Hecate.

Nyvern led me back outside, amazement filling his every glance, though I wasn't paying attention. I took a deep breath as I surveyed the rest of the Quarter. Around the lake, white stone and marble building with tall columns and soft edges were places at strategic points, some of them being shops and places of worship, while others were simple homes. They all fit together as one, with dirt paths leading from place to place.

Nyvern pointed up, and the same crystal shaft that was in the Naturalist's Quarter was here as well, only this crystal was in varying shades of purple and blue, casting a nightly light over the Quarter and making you feel as though the goddess was close to you. As we were walking out, we passed a small orphanage and I felt a pang of grief.

"No werewolf should ever have to live alone like that, without a family." I whispered to myself. Nyvern stopped and brushed the hair back out of my face, just as our mother goddess had done to me.

"They're never alone, so long as they love our mother Hecate. And they make their own families out of those around them, families their own age and size. They are still happy here, and they still have hope. They're simply young, which makes them vulnerable. We all watch out for them, because we're all one large family of our own you know." He muttered quietly to me, playing with my hair. I smiled and hugged him for a long moment before we began to walk on again.

Nyvern once again told me who the nine leaders of this Quarter were. One orphanage matron, one priest, one priestess, one writer, one poet, one gardener, one paladin, one common child, and Hecate herself served as the nine leaders. While Hecate was usually never around in physical form, you could always feel her spirit flowing through you, so you knew she was there. A physical appearance was very rare indeed.


	21. Wolfish Warrior, Brother Bear

**Chapter Twenty-One**

We left the Holy Quarter then, heading for the 'Fienghter's Quitrem', or the 'Warrior's Quarter'. The archway was uniformly plain, except it had extra safety precautions added onto it in case the entire Quarter needed to hold their defenses from an invasion of some kind. As you stepped in, you noticed that the werewolves in here were heavily armored and were given some very brutal looking weapons, marching around in their groups or going back and forth on errands. The life of the soldier is never quiet or relaxed; they're always busy in some way.

The armor for the werewolves varied depending on their rank and regiment, but after a moment of watching I thought I'd figured it all out. For a regular soldier or fighter, the armor was a faint lilac purple on the chest plate, arm guards, leg guards, and back. However, the joints and portions connection them together were of a slightly darker purple. They all carried basic weapons that fit their grip just as perfectly as the hard armor wrapped around their body. I watched in fascinated amazement as one of the werewolves bent over backwards, his armor bending with him gently as though he were only wearing cloth. Curious, I walked slowly up to him.

"How did you manage to do that? Shouldn't your armor be bent or ruined now?" I asked him. He smiled as he stood back up straight and regarded me with intelligent eyes. He was a dark blonde werewolf with bones in his hair around his shoulders. His light blue eyes regarded me with intelligence and playfulness.

"You're new here, though you must be very old and wise in the ways of the werewolf, for you're practically human as you stand there. My name is Kallaheart." He opened his arms for a hug and I embraced him as if I'd known him for years.

"I'm Ayla Sharmila, and I'm only fifteen. I just became a werewolf this afternoon, as it so happens." I told him, smiling shyly. Kallaheart raised a confused eyebrow, but then smiled in understanding.

"You're the one that Hecate summoned into our family, aren't you? She told me about you, the girl with hair like rusty steel and eyes of the brightest crystals." I smiled at him; how poetic. "It's no wonder you have such control over yourself. However, this means you have a lot to learn young one. You need to learn what this armor is for starters, since you seem so curious." He said, bending over backwards and then pulling his legs into a handstand before jumping back to his feet again with a grin.

"This armor is a special material we found hidden in mines deep in this mountain; no other armor like this exists. It's a gift from Hecate, for if the light of the moon is shone on the ore then it will glow and possess special powers, like the ability to overly protect her children. She's very defensive of us. The armor bends and reshapes itself to our bodies, and no regular blade will be able to penetrate it. Only magical blades can, and that's what we have to watch out for." He cautioned me. I nodded, giving him my full attention.

"Its really quite simple though. We needed armor that could move and shift as we do from human to werewolf, and this armor does exactly that, as do our weapons. We've casted prayers and spells on them so we can use them in human and werewolf form, making them grow or shrink accordingly. Like your weapons, for example." He said, pulling my two swords off of my back. He muttered a few words as he passes his hand over the two blades, and they glowed purple briefly before going back to normal.

"Now they're magic. They can pierce even the hardest armor, and shall never break or rust or grow blunt. Also, they've grown to fit your size and necessary strength to agree with any earlier training. When you become human again, they will go back to their normal size." He said. I was completely intrigued by now.

"Can you show me how to do that to my other weapons, and preferably my clothes as well." I asked, blushing slightly. He laughed and nodded putting and arm around my shoulders as he and Nyvern led me into the main building. When we walked in, Kallaheart went straight towards a large, thick door, opening it and ushering us inside.

It was an armory, and it was massive. The large armory was so big that it expanded into another few floors underground, filled with weapons, armor, potions, spells, poisons, antidotes, and anything else that related to battle. I was surprised.

Kallaheart looked around with a feeling of peace and familiarity before searching the walls and racks of armor for something. He led us down another two floors, going straight for a stand of armor in the back and glancing at it and then back at me with a smile growing on his face. He motioned me over and I stared at the armor, a gasp escaping me.

It was absolutely perfect. Kallaheart helped me to strip down quickly and then fit all the armor onto my body. I expected it to be cold, but found that it was pleasantly warm to the touch, as if another body had stood in it until I got there. The armor fit perfectly around my form, suddenly reshaping itself until it blended to my body in harmony, fitting my every muscle and curve.

It started at my ankles, going up my legs in chain mail that reminded me of scales, only smooth and form fitting, though they were surprisingly strong and tough. I rapped on the metal and it didn't make a sound, but when I swung my fist against it the thing didn't budge, and I barely felt the blow. The armor looked like it was made of pure dragon scales, and it was up my legs to my stomach, up my chest and over my shoulders, leaving my neck and head bare. It traveled down my arms to the backs of my wrists, and went over my back, leaving the large ridge of fur that was actually my hair exposed out of the armor.

The colors for this scale-like armor were in mixing shades of deep blue, aquamarine, jade green, and a deep velvety purple. The mixture was beautiful, and had white trails of mist in the color design. Kallaheart handed me armor-backed gloves made of the same material, only the actual glove part was a thick and smooth cloth. There was no head armor, but it was unnecessary. Our skulls were thick enough that no one would dare aim for it.

Also, Kallaheart led us down another level and gave me a pair of sturdy-looking boots, with armor plating on the top and sides. The bottom was a thick leather-like substance, and made it feel like an extension of my foot even though I didn't actually feel the ground in my steps. It was a great bonus. The shoes were of a special make that curled around my instep and left the paws at the bottom of my large feet bare, protecting the bones above it instead. The armor had one more bonus as well; while it was tough and nearly indestructible, it also weighed close to nothing.

Once I had armor, I surveyed myself in the mirror and smiled, my barking laughter filling the armory as glee overtook me. "I'm a warrior!" I said, hugging Kallaheart and Nyvern tightly, a big smile on my face. They both laughed at me.

"All of Hecate's children are warriors, though many of them simply don't prefer armor over their own fur." He said, scratching behind his ear.

"But I love the armor; it makes me feel powerful and safe." I told him with a smile. He smiled back and ruffled my fur on top of my head, messing with my werewolf hair. I fixed it effortlessly, still smiling.

"I think I've found a true little sister in you. On my honor and my heart, you will always have my love and devotion. I will guard, guide, and protect you whenever you need it, just as Nyvern does for you." He said, smiling in a calm way to me. I smiled back serenely, my lilting voice sighing happily before I replied.

"Just as I have found true brothers in both of you. I could not, however, ask you to follow and come with me when the time comes for me to go on my journey, following the higher figures of the future and chancing my death. Nyvern promised to go with me, but it will be hard and dangerous. I could not wish that fate on anyone." I told him. He smiled softly, stroking my cheek.

"You don't have to ask, because nothing you do is going to stop me from going with you Ayla. You're a part of me already, even though we just met. It's the fastest connection I've ever had with another werewolf." He told me. I smiled shyly, hugging him.

"It's the same with me; I connected with you instantly once I was brave enough to come out of the shadows Ayla. You're a part of me." Nyvern told me, joining in our hug. I smiled.

"You will both always be in my heart, and will always be a part of me. You're special in my soul's eyes." I whispered, hugging them closer. We all stood there for a long moment, absorbed in our feelings together before we slowly pulled back and looked at one another.

"Well, now that you have armor and a pair of guards, how about some weapons?" he asked me. My smile grew immediately as I skipped over to the stairwell after Nyvern and Kallaheart. We went to the bottom floor where all the weapons had been stored, and there were so many! How was I ever to choose?

"How will I know which weapons are right?" I asked Nyvern in a whisper. He turned to look at me with an eyebrow raised before he began to smile softly. "Your weapons have already been chosen for you, we just have to find where they've been put. Hecate chose your armor and weapons long ago, many years back. She saved them in here for you until this day, except she didn't tell us where they were."

I thought about it for a moment before letting my eyes slip slowly closed as my mind reached back out to my mother Hecate. My spirit traveled up and up and up high, but something was pulling me back down. My body had me by the ankle, trying to hold me back, but from what? I just wanted to go and talk with my mother dearest. I wrenched my ankle away from my physical body and soared up into the moon without a care in the world.


	22. Spirit Home to Howler Home

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

I stepped through an ancient archway into a room that made me smile. Wide open green grass to walk in, with a fountain in the center that was made of white marble, with a glowing purple aura surrounding it. There was a lounge chair near the fountain where mother was laying, reading a book that had her full attention. I walked down the few marble steps and called out softly "Mother….mother!"

She raised her head in surprise; she hadn't heard me walk in apparently. She hastily set down her book and stood up, walking quickly towards me. She held open her arms and I ran into her embrace, hugging her fiercely. "I've missed you mom, even though it hasn't been very long. I can still feel that gap of time, all those years without you." I told her.

She pulled back a little to push my hair out of my eyes, her hands stroking my furry cheeks as she stared at me with love. "How did you get here child?" she asked me quietly. I detected a note of sadness in her voice, and my answer sounded almost question-like as I stared into her spectral eyes.

"Oh, I just stood there thinking about where you would put my weapons, when I realized I could just come and ask you about it. I felt our connection and I used it to bring myself up here, so I could see you and ask. Why do you look surprised Momma?" I asked her, feeling somewhat small and helpless.

She did look surprised, and more than a little relieved. "You have the power to travel willingly into the spirit world my child. When you appeared in my room, I thought you had somehow died. I was grieving your death, but now I realize you have the option to go between both worlds. This has made me very happy; I can dote constantly upon my favorite daughter." She said, touching the tip of my snout. I smiled warmly, giggling a little.

"So Momma, where are my weapons? My brother Kallaheart said you'd saved some for me, but we didn't know where they were." I told her. She thought about it for a moment before her eyes lit up in understanding.

"Of course darling, they're in the hidden room. I left your armor in the armory, but in there you shall find a loose stone beneath where your armor was resting. Under the stone there is a parchment that will show you the way to your home in the grand City, and I know you'll absolutely love it Sweetheart. In your home you'll find your weapons, along with a small box of notes that will tell you things that I don't have the time to tell you know. You must hurry back to the real world and to your body, so that the boys stop worrying their heads silly over you." She said, giving me one last hug before gently pushing me in the direction of the stone archway.

I smiled to my mother and waved farewell, stepping through the arch and feeling myself zoom back down to the ground where my body should have been. However, when I got there I was still a spirit; my body was gone! I zoomed around looking for it, before I realized they must have taken me to the treatment area in the Warrior's Quarter. I zoomed out of the armory and down the hallways, already somehow knowing my way around.

I looked around in the hospital wing before I saw my body on a bed near the back corner, Kallaheart and Nyvern standing by my bedside as a healer looked over my empty body with a sad face. I hurried over to them, waving my hand in front of their faces. The boys didn't see me, but the healer watched me with fascinated awe. I poked my real body with my spectral form and wondered how I was supposed to get back in.

Taking as deep breath, I soared up a little and dived down towards my body to get back in. I bounced right off of it and sat on the floor by the bed, rubbing my head as I mouthed the word "Oww."

The healer woman giggled quietly behind her hand, and the boys gave her a look that said 'What's her problem?'. I giggled silently, since I couldn't make noise that the real world would hear. Only the spirit world would hear my sounds. Or, I began to wonder, maybe if she could see me then she could hear me too.

"Excuse me miss healer, but do you know how I can get back into my body?" I asked her, scratching behind my ear. She scratched behind her furry ear too before she nodded with a smile.

"Yes, I think I can help you. Step over here child." She said, indicating a place beside her. "Now then, you're going to want to look into your dead eyes and feel the pull back to your body, and just let yourself be absorbed by it. It will tickle a little, but it should be very swift. If you wake up laughing, then you'll at least understand why. Go ahead and try it." She said, gesturing to my body.

The boys looked at each other and then at her, confusion, and worry for her sanity covering their faces. I giggled at the sight and then stared into my dead eyes, even though they happened to be closed. I thought about my connection with my body for a moment before a tickling sensation crept up my body and suddenly I felt solid and whole again.

I opened my eyes and laughed, still feeling as though I had been tickled. The healer smiled at the picture created as the two boys swarmed around me, relief showing in their laughing faces. I looked up at the healer and said "Thanks for the advice; I guess dive bombing your body doesn't really work does it?" She laughed heartily, shaking her head.

The boys looked confused, but otherwise didn't comment. I hopped up to my feet with a smile and said "Come on guys! Mom told me where my weapons were!" We ran out of there like three small children, eager to play with their toys. I raced them to the armory, going to the rack that my armor was on and moving it aside, feeling for the loose stone. I found it and lifted it up, reaching in and pulling out a faded piece of parchment.

On the parchment were directions from this spot to my home. Confused, I followed the directions with Kallaheart and Nyvern in tow. They led me to the Naturalist's Quarter, where the central Willow Tree was. There was a small cottage up in its branches, but no stairs were to be seen. Smiling, I began to climb the tree. However, right as I touched the tree to start climbing, my hand lit up briefly and then the tree began to shake a little.

The side of the tree opened up into a small doorway, where inside I could see a spiraling stairwell made of the trees inner woods to take me to the top where the small cottage was. Kallaheart and Nyvern followed me inside, and as soon as they stepped in the door slipped shut faster than a blink behind them. I smiled to myself and choked back a giggle. I raced up the stairs, eager to see my new home. There was a door at the top, and as I slowly opened it and stepped out of the tree I gasped in shock and surprise.

The door opened up into the back of the main room for the house. The main room was all wood and leaves and plants, growing together to make a beautiful home. At the back of the room was the only stone item in the whole house; a fireplace that was well protected from the rest of the room. On the other side of the door were a few shelves of herbs and potions. There was a lounge chair and a couple of comfy sitting chairs as well. In the middle of the main room was the kitchen table, with six chairs around it. In the center of the table was a vase full of fresh moonflowers.

In the front of the room was a large front door with beautiful carvings inlaid to it. To its left were the sink, oven, stove, cabinets, and icebox. On the right was a counter with the pantry of food above it in cabinets, and in front of it was an island to prepare food and other things on. To the right of the main room was a closed door, and when I opened it I revealed my bedroom. The bed was made from wood and the mattress was of the softest mixture of leaves and grasses, all woven together beautifully. There was a canopy above the bed that draped down in leafy vines to surround and hide inside the bed. There was a little table beside it with more moonflowers in it.

To the right of the bed was a closet, and it was full of all types of clothes. Many of the clothes on shelves were of my leather style, but there were some cloth ones too. Nice gowns, skirts, and dresses were hanging up in case I wanted to wear something nice once in a while.

I smiled and closed the closet, walking out of my bedroom and shutting the door softly behind me. The boys hadn't yet left the main room, and I preferred to keep it that way for now. On the other side of the main room from my bedroom's doorway was an open wooden arch just barely higher up than me. Walking through it, you came into a study where books were everywhere, and there was a desk with writing things and all.

There was a small door in the side of the room, and as I was about to open it I remembered something. Going back to the desk, I opened the first drawer and inside was a small box. I delicately picked up the little box and opened it, finding small pieces of parchment folded up inside. These are the things Hecate wanted to tell me, but didn't have time for. I sat down in the comfortable chair and pulled out the small slips of parchment, reading them one after another.


	23. Notes And Supplies

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

The cards were all in a specific order, and as I began to read them I realized why. The first piece of paper was folded up, and unfolding it revealed a list of where certain things I would need were. It told me where the weapons were and how to use them, it told me where I could go for instruction in the art of potion-making, it told me where I could buy the finest horses, it told me where the money was, and it told me small details and facts about the parts of the City that I would need to know sometime later.

The second parchment was a letter to me from mother. As I read it, I began to smile. I could almost hear her soft voice telling this to me, as though she were right beside me, saying:

_To my dearest Ayla,_

_I hope fortune has smiled upon you in all those years that you were without your new family. I foresaw you coming thirty years ago, far before you were born. You will be the shining light that saves Alagaesia from the evil that is pressing at the gates. As I'm writing this out to you, I'm trying to imagine what you look like, how you act, how you respond to others. Picturing you before you're even born is more difficult than you could ever realize._

_I hope you like your new home up in the Willow Tree; I reserved it for the day of your arrival. These papers will help guide you until your journey, and then there will be no more time for you to learn, so spend your time wisely. Some time for fun is always necessary, but I suggest you study all that you can. All knowledge you gain will be needed for this journey. You and your companions will be faced with challenges far beyond the ordinary level, and you're so young that it will be hardest of all for you. I have faith in you my dearest daughter, and when you need help you can always call on me._

_Stay strong my darling, and you can make it through everything. Just remember one thing: A Marnon-Vaila can make it through anything, because we never give up. We're always strong enough. Good luck my Ayla._

_With all the love one can offer,_

_Mother Moon Goddess._

I read through the letter quickly, absorbing the words and storing them in my memory. I was in the middle of reading through all her other notes left for me about things I should be cautious of and what I needed to learn for the journey when Nyvern and Kallaheart walked into the study, looking around with bright eyes. I glanced up at them and set down the notes, my eyes a mystery to them.

Out of the blue, I asked them "What is a Marnon-Vaila?" They seemed stunned by my question for a moment before they both broke into hysterical laughter. Kallaheart doubled over laughing and Nyvern slid down the wall to the floor clutching his stomach. I growled menacingly at the two of them and they shut up right away, but then they looked at each other and started laughing harder than before. I groaned and sat back in my chair, determined to wait it out.

After a few very long minutes of their hysterical laughter, the boys calmed down and wiped the tears from their eyes, choosing to stay laying on my wood floor. Kallaheart let loose a big breath and put his hands behind his head, relaxing. Nyvern crossed his ankles and did the same before choosing to respond to my original question.

"A Marnon-Vaila… can you not feel that answer? Ask yourself that question by searching deep down inside your very heart and soul. Really think about it; chant the name to yourself, and it will start to sound very familiar. Marnon-Vaila, marnon-vaila, marnon-vaila…." He chanted quietly, and I automatically joined him, not even thinking about it.

I closed my eyes and searched deep down inside of myself for answers. All of a sudden it came to me, and I sprang up from my chair quickly. The other two jumped a little, surprised by my sudden movement. I smiled as the knowledge flooded through my brain.

"Of course! How could I have not known that before? Werewolf is the mortals' word, but the true name of our race is the Marnon-Vaila, or the 'Moon-Lover'. Why didn't I see it before?" I asked myself, astonished. The boys looked at each other and smiled.

"So, why are you reading all of these little things anyways? Did Hecate command it?" Nyvern asked. I shook my head.

"She didn't command it, but she said it would be the only way for me to survive. It looks like I've got a lot of things to do on the coming horizon." I sighed, handing the list of things for me to learn to Kallaheart, who read it with a grimace before handing it off to Nyvern.

Nyvern read through it with furrowed eyebrows. "Why would you need to know so much? Is your journey going to be that huge and important?" he asked me. I nodded slowly.

"I can feel the journey approaching, like the wolf waiting for the deer to walk past his hiding spot so he can pounce." I said, my lilting voice sounding so distant as I stared out the window at the branches of the tree wrapped around my home.

Nyvern got up and stood behind me, rubbing my arms soothingly as he whispered in my ear "It's gonna be okay Sis, you'll see. We'll help you, and we won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He said, hugging me from behind with his chin resting on my shoulder. I sensed when Kallaheart got up and walked over to us.

"You know I'll always be there to help you whenever I can Sis, and no one is going to get by me to hurt you in any way. Don't worry so much; we can do this together." Kallaheart said, hugging me in the front. There I stood, in between the arms of my two big brothers, whom I felt I had known all my life instead of only a few short hours. I smiled to myself; we could do this as a family, together.

After a moment or two, or maybe even three, we pulled apart and decided to keep up with the current list of events taking place. We all had things to do. I put everything back in the box except the to-do list, holding it in my hands first and reading the first thing on it. _Get your weapons out of the closet in the Study; they should fit your style well._

Nodding to myself, I went to the closet door and opened it, and when I glanced inside I stifled a squeal of delight. Hecate already knew me so well; these weapons would be perfect for me! I pulled them out of the closet and laid them out on the floor with glee so that the boys could see them too. According to Kallaheart's low whistle, these were some impressive weapons.

The first part of my weapons was much like my old set, only much stronger and more durable. I was given a weapons' holder that went on my shoulders and connected into a belt at the bottom of my waist. It was made out of the same flexible material as the armor was, and it was fairly comfortable as well. In the weapons' holder were a pair of identical swords, but they weren't ordinary like my last pair were. These had spells cast upon them, and had been forged with special care.

These swords had the power of the Marnon-Vaila in them, and the faint ringing sound they made as they clashed against steel reminded you faintly of the howling of the werewolves. It was extremely stable, supremely powerful, and amazingly durable. The power of the werewolves in these swords also caused it to have a faint purple glow around it that looked much like fire. Anything the fire touched would burn, but not on the outside. It would burn you internally, sometimes taking out your organs and sometimes driving a person insane by attacking their mind.

In the center slot of the back portion of my weapons' holder was a beautiful bow. The bow had been made by the druids in the Naturalist's Quarter, and not even the elves could have done a more magnificent job. It was of the lightest and most flexible of wood, but was still strong enough to take a beating and still work perfectly. The smooth oiled string was in perfect condition, and a spare string was lying with it. The bow had a good grip and pulled back tightly, perfect for longer shots.

In the belt were a pair of curved daggers, and as I surveyed them I noticed that the daggers had a faintly greenish glow to them. _They were poisonous,_ I realized with a start. I studied them and saw the power in them, allowing them to give a fatal poison to those who are even scratched by it. In the slots in front of those daggers were a pair of throwing knives, and they had the power of fire within them, allowing them to scorch whatever they touched. The bonus about all my weapons was that they wouldn't harm their owner, which happened to be me. This also meant it wouldn't hurt my other equipment; otherwise everything would have disintegrated within seconds.

In a bag, made of the same material as my armor, on my right side were a bunch of throwing darts, and they were in smaller bags with labels on them. There were darts that would freeze over whatever they landed in, darts that would take the force of lightning with them as they struck, darts that would give me total control of whoever or whatever they ended up in, and darts that would cause the very plants of the earth to spring up out of the ground and wrestle with whoever was against me.

There was an empty bag on my left side, also made of the armor's material, and I knew it was for money. Going back to look at the list, I saw the next portion said _I suppose you've noticed there is a money pouch on your belt. You'll find all the money you need in a small bag in the desk; it's in the bottom right-hand corner drawer._

Smiling to myself for the one millionth time today, I opened the drawer to find a small leather bag inside. I opened it and was surprised by all of the large coins in it. Ten copper pieces made a silver half-crown, and five silver half-crowns made a full silver crown, and one hundred full silver crowns made a gold crown. The pouch I held in my hands had at least fifty gold crowns in it, along with other assorted coppers and half-crown pieces.

I was shocked. I walked slowly over to the boys, who both peered into the bag with their mouths wide open in shock. After a few moments, Kallaheart leaped into the air with a shout for joy. "Woo-hoo!"


	24. Into Creental's Quitrem

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Nyvern and I both laughed at the childish werewolf as he pranced around the room. I dumped the money into the small bag on my left side and looked back at the list. _In the Darkness Quarter you'll find special horses that have more strength, energy, and intelligence than you do. You'll need to go into the Darkness Quarter and find them, and when you do you'll need to buy seven of them. Do not question why you will yet need so many, but just know that you will leave this City when the time for the journey comes with that many horses._

I showed the third note on the list to the boys and they both raised their eyebrows in surprise. Handing it back, Nyvern asked me "Does she say anywhere who or what those other four people will be?" I shook my head slowly, before reopening the box of notes and pulling them all out. I found a separate note folded in the bottom of the box that I must have missed.

I opened it and read the fading words, _This piece of paper will give you an immediate connection with me so that we can talk together, and it will allow all of your questions to be answered. Simply write the question down and an answer will appear, though the answers may not be what you expect._

I thought about it for a moment before smoothing out the paper and getting a quill and a pot of ink, dipping the end of the quill in the ink bottle before writing my question on the piece of paper. _What type of people will be joining me on my journey, and when will this journey be?_I wrote down on the paper, somewhat skeptic of receiving an answer. For a moment, nothing happened, but then I noticed the words began to fade away and disappear into the paper. After a moment, ink started to bleed through it and I became confused.

I lifted the parchment from the table, expecting to see an ink spill underneath of it. The table was clean. I looked back at the front and saw the ink smudges bleeding through turning into words. _The people will be you, the werewolf chief, one male warrior, one female druid, one female priestess, one male rogue, and one male sorcerer. You will meet these people and become a close-packed family of your own over the course of time between now and your journey. You will all begin your journey just as the moon is rising on a night exactly two months from today, when a chain series of events will begin._

I chuckled to myself when I received my answer. Nyvern and Kallaheart both read it from over my shoulders, and I grinned at the picture we created, looking like a trio of fools. The ink faded out after a moment, and I gently placed the paper back inside of the box, along with the list. I firmly shut the box and held it in my hands, walking past the boys to the front door.

Stepping out on the front porch, I noticed right away that a section above me had been cleared naturally by the tree so that I could look up at the crystal in the top of the Quarter. On my left, there was a bench swing on the porch. On the right was a rocking chair, and behind it was a thick branch for sitting on. I stepped to the edge of the porch's railing and found a small flat swing to sit on. I sat and the branches of the tree gently lowered me to the ground.

I stepped off onto the grass and it zoomed back up to the top, bringing the boys down together with it. When they stepped off, it zoomed back up to the top again. A tendril of purple light flowed past my ear to a knot on the side of the tree. I walked over and pushed gently on the knot, and the swing came back down to the bottom, waiting for me. I pushed the knot again and the swing zoomed back up to the top.

The boys shook their head in amazement and said "This place must be crawling with magic, but I didn't think the Naturalist's Quarter would do that." Kallaheart commented. Nyvern shook his head quietly for a moment.

"It's the magic of the druids, and it's brought this tree to an intelligent life. Either that, or it did that on its own. This Willow Tree is just as alive and intelligent as you and I are. That makes it the best guardian for Ayla, don't you think?" he said skeptically, looking up at the house high up in the tree. Kallaheart slowly nodded as he looked up too, shivering slightly before putting an arm around my shoulders and leading me away.

Nyvern casually slid his arm around my shoulders from my other side, and the three of us walked together, my hands on both of their shoulders as well. When we entered into the Darkness Quarter, Nyvern and Kallaheart became slightly more jumpy, shifting their eyes from spot to spot, searching for trouble. I was perfectly calm as I walked through the streets, and as we were passing a shop I told the boys I was stepping inside for a moment.

They gave me a strange look and followed me inside, glancing behind them shiftily as they did. I walked up to the merchant behind the counter and waited for him to focus his attention on me.

He glanced my way as he was closing a box and said "Hello young lady, perhaps you would be interested in a silver rope that turns into a snake when you command it, or did you have something special in mind?" he asked her, smiling in a creepy fashion. I gave him a small smile in return.

"No thank you kind sir, I was just wondering if you could tell me where the stables back here were? I was told by a friend that a special breed of horses was sold here, but I can't seem to find it. Could you possibly help me out?" I asked him. He thought about it for a moment as he stroked the side of the box in his hands.

"Now that you mention it, perhaps I can. The stables for these horses you speak of should be in the very back of the Quarter, down Rat-Hole Road. Yes, a man named Karkle breeds and sells the mounts for a hefty price, but they're worth every copper piece. You shouldn't have any trouble finding it if you work on going straight to the back of the Quarter from here." He supplied helpfully. I pulled out a silver half-crown and flipped it to the man, who caught it on reflex.

"Thank you for the information neighbor, and have a nice afternoon." I told him.

"Bless you my Lady, and have a good afternoon." He said heartily as we walked out. The two boys gave me appraising looks, but I paid them no heed as we walked on. It took us a good fifteen minutes of confusing twists and turns, but soon we found a street sign that sat _Rat-Hole Road_ on it.

We walked down the road, looking for the stables and not seeing it anywhere. I looked at the signs above the buildings and shops, but they were all in the Marnon-Vaila's unique language.

"What are the words for stables in your language?" I asked Nyvern in a whisper.

"Strashbah." He answered in the same low voice. As we walked on, I glanced at all the signs, looking for the word. After a few long minutes of walking down the long road, I finally saw it and pointed.

"There it is! _Karkle's Strashbah_. He must have the actual stables underneath of the main city." I guessed. Kallaheart and Nyvern glanced at each other, looking skeptic, but followed me inside anyways.


	25. Say Hello To Miquien

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

When we got in there, we were met with a room full of strange and special tack for all kinds of mounts, species that I couldn't even begin to guess at. There was a young werewolf behind the counter, polishing a bridle. She looked up at the sound of the door opening.

"Welcome my friends, to Karkle's Stables. How may I help you?" she asked in a strangely deep accent. It sounded much like those used by the sailors on the sea.

"I'm looking to buy a few mounts for a reasonable price, along with the necessary tack. Is there someone that we could speak to about that?" I asked her. She nodded briefly, motioning for us to follow as she walked into an open door behind her. We went down a flight of stone steps into an underground cave, which was much larger than I would have guessed.

There were five large stables, and all together they created a rough circle of woodwork. In between them was a common ground of cobblestones, where some of the animals lolled around together. All of it was fenced in, and on the other side of the fence was a small cottage house with the front door standing wide open. A male werewolf was in the stable on the right, feeding some vicious-looking animals raw meat. When he saw us, he wiped his bloody hands on his work pants and walked our way. He held out a hand for me to shake.

I shook his hand as he said "Hey there, I'm Karkle. Are you looking to buy some of my fine animals?" he asked, giving me a lofty grin. I nodded to him, fighting a smile.

"Yes sir, and my name is Ayla Sharmila. I was told that you had some special horses that are good for long distances and are more intelligent than the average werewolf. Do you have such animals?" I asked him. He had a big smile on his face.

"You heard right Madam. The creatures you speak of are called felsteeds, and I breed them quite frequently. How many of them did you need exactly?" he asked me, obviously pleased with the rumors circulating about his stables.

"I'll be needing seven of your best felsteeds, along with the necessary tack for them. If you don't mind, I'd like to look them over and choose them myself." I told him. He nodded to himself and absentmindedly led me to the stables opposite of his home, mentally adding up a total.

"It's fifty silver crowns for one felsteed, so seven of them would be three hundred and fifty silver crowns. The necessary tack will vary in price depending on exactly what kind of tack you want. Do you have the money for your felsteeds?" he asked me. I nodded, opening my money pouch and pulling out four gold crowns and handing them to the man. He looked at them in some surprise, then looked back up at me. "Are you some sort of rich noble, looking to collect animals for show?" he asked suspiciously. I shook my head at him.

"No, I'm new here actually, but within two months I will be going on a long and difficult journey with six companions, and I'll be needing dependable mounts. Our mother Hecate told me to come here for these mounts, and she gave me the money I would need to buy them. Apparently their presence in my future was fairly important." I explained. Sudden inspiration seemed to strike him.

"You're the one who summoned Hecate into the temple this afternoon; the carrier of the white magic! We could see that beacon of magic shining from the back of the City when you were still out on that farm, it was so bright. Hecate must have something great in store for you." He said, a look of glory passing over his face.

I smiled shyly, a faint blush covering my cheeks for a moment. "Now then, may I go see these horses of yours?" I asked him. He nodded, gesturing for me to go first. The stables were smaller than Haberth's stables back in Therinsford, but they served their purpose. In each stall was a fairly average-looking horse, in different colors and tempers. However, they all possessed an intelligent gaze in their eyes, even more than Karnus did, and thick muscles rippled under their coats.

"These horses look almost normal to me Karkle. What makes them so different?" I asked him as I entered the stall of a large black horse, who was watching me with dark green eyes. I stroked the horse's side and felt him shudder quietly, his eyes watching me with caution.

"Well, under a certain command these horses will change their shape and strength. Their mane and tail turns to living flames, and they get flames for eyes and around their hooves in trails. They grow probably ten times stronger, though they will look weaker. Also, they will have an unusually long endurance and speed that can match that of an experienced dragon. They're very rare and special creatures." He explained. I stroked the horse's side softly, absorbing the information.

I glanced over at the felsteed and saw a flash of flame deep within his dark green eyes, which were not eying me as cautiously now. I allowed myself a small grin. Perhaps this idea was brighter than it originally seemed to be. The felsteed surveyed me up and down with one dark eye, his gaze a mystery to me. He hesitantly stuck his nose in my direction, curious it seemed. I held my hand up to it and rubbed the horse's snout, feeling his warm breath on my fingertips.

Smiling, I moved slightly closer to the stallion, my fur brushing up against his coat. He shuddered briefly, but then relaxed all of his muscles as he studied me with his dark eyes. I turned back to Karkle and said "I really like this one here. Does he have a name?" I asked as I absentmindedly stroked the large animal.

Karkle nodded, watching us with his true emotions hidden. "His name is Miquien, and he's the most noble of all my mounts. He's the strongest, most intelligent, proudest, and most trustworthy felsteed I've ever had the privilege to breed. You've made a fine choice with Miquien." He complimented.

I hummed quietly to myself, thinking for a long moment before I untied him from his stall and backed him out of it into the walkway of the stable. I held onto his lead rope and hopped up onto his bare back, easily fitting into place behind his strong shoulders. I rode him out of the small open stable and into the courtyard of cobblestones to get a feel for his movements. His gait felt strange, as if he had an extra bone in each of his legs that gave him a unique style of walking.

I picked up the pace to a trot and tried to adjust to the alien feeling as I rode him around in the courtyard of stone between the five stables. Karkle watched from the stable door of the felsteeds' area, his expression never shifting away from guarded eyes and a stubborn lip. "If you want to see him changed, you must simply tell him _Keelva-Colvo_, which means Shape-Shift. Try it." He suggested, watching me with a certain air of expectation.

Miquien looked back at me with a steady green eye, just waiting for me to say the words. I stared into that dark green eye for a long moment before I softly whispered "Keelva-Colvo". The moment I whispered those words, Miquien's eyes began to cover themselves in green flames. The flames spread down his body, never burning me or seeming to burn him. The change transformed his bones, muscles, hair, and stability. What was once a completely normal horse was now a creature from a child's worst nightmares.

The horse's bones and muscles had grown and all the excess fat had disappeared from its body, making it look somewhat skeletal-like and giving it a haunting appearance. The eye sockets held green living flames, instead of the once dark green eyes, as did his nostrils. Flames had gathered around his hooves from the excess hair that used to hang above and around them. His mane and tail had become living flames the color of the green ichors that glowed in most poisons, though they had no ill effect on me as they brushed past me with a flick of his tail.

His coat was still a shiny midnight black, and the flames added a beautiful contrast to it. Sitting astride his back made me feel high and mighty, and I could feel the power flowing out of this animal. It was a dark power though, and it awoke something deep inside of me. The Darkness that made me a true werewolf was also inside of this magnificent creature. I tapped his sides with my heels and he reared enthusiastically, but I never fell backwards. Bones in his back were jutting up slightly and held me easily in place.

He took off at a canter around the courtyard, and his reflexes seemed faster than ever. Also, he was tireless. His breathing never changed rhythm, and he kept a steady pace with positive footing. The felsteed picked up the pace without my command and was soon flying, still somehow maneuvering in the now seemingly-tiny courtyard. I pulled him to a quick stop and he reared, whinnying excitedly. While he had the ability to be calm, this horse also had a lot of spirit. He turned one burning eye-socket back to look at me and I could already see that he was mischievous.

I tapped him into a smooth walking gait back over to Karkle, who was watching the two of us with a smile. I hopped off of Miquien's back while keeping a firm hold on his lead rope, though he was slowly tugging on it as if to get away from my hold. I knew that if he did, we'd be playing a game of 'tag' for ages and ages. "This is the one; I'll take him." I told the grinning werewolf as Miquien shifted back into a normal horse with my muttered command.

Nyvern and Kallaheart began looking at felsteeds for themselves as we waited. Nyvern came out with a dark chestnut felsteed with dark eyes that had a hint of red in their depths, who watched us all with an air of dignity and pride. Kallaheart had gotten a cream colored beauty with a white main and tail, who's bright blue eyes showed immense bravery and protective instinct, while the horse's affection for Kallaheart's softer side was obvious.

I approved of both of their mounts. "You two got very lucky; this pair will do anything for you." I told them. They both smiled, pleased as they mounted up onto their felsteeds' bare backs and rode them around the courtyard.

Over the next hour, Karkle helped me to choose four more trustworthy felsteeds and then get the riding gear necessary for them. The saddles were all regular to me, until I saw that they were made of the same material as my armor. When the horses shifted, the saddles and gear would shift with them to fit their new shapes.

Karkle helped me saddle all the felsteeds, with the added help of Nyvern and Kallaheart of course. Once we were ready, I paid Karkle the extra twenty silver pieces it had cost for the riding gear and thanked him. Karkle pulled down the lever on the back wall and a stone door slid aside to reveal a secret exit for us to get out through with our mounts.

We rode quickly up the stone ramps hidden in the walls of the main cavern of the Darkness Quarter, entering out onto Rat-Hole Road within moments. With me riding Miquien and leading two of the other felsteeds, the three of us rode off towards the Main Hall. Nyvern had private stables hidden aside where he said we could keep our mounts. As it so happened, that's where my mount Karnus was waiting for us.

When Karnus saw me he whinnied happily, glad to see a familiar face. I smiled as I put all the felsteeds in stalls, brushing them down and putting their tack on shelves by their stall doors. Once they were all put away, I went to stroke Karnus' side, staring into his now-solemn eyes. He knew what was coming, and it saddened him as much as it did me.

"Don't worry," I whispered to the warhorse, "You'll be going to a great man who will take good care of you. He'll probably spoil you rotten." I teased. Karnus whinnied a laugh, then turned when he heard footsteps approaching. It was Nyvern.

"Do you think you could send someone trustworthy to take Karnus to Therinsford, and to the main stables there? It's owned by a man named Haberth, one of my dearest friends. I'm sure he'll look after Karnus the way he deserves." I told Nyvern, absent-mindedly stroking Karnus' nose.

He nodded. "I have an advisor who'd be happy to do that for you. Would you like him to give Haberth a letter or note from you, so he knows you're alright?" he asked. I nodded.

Nyvern told me to wait as he sent for the advisor and some parchment and ink. When Nyvern returned, another male werewolf was beside him. Before my very eyes, the werewolf transformed effortlessly into a man. The man had brown shaggy hair, and was dressed in simple clothing in blues and purples, deceiving his rank as an advisor. He had a rolled up parchment in his hand and a quill in the other.

Working quickly, I wrote out a short letter to Haberth, asking him to keep and take care of Karnus for me since I had a new horse. I told him I was perfectly alright, and obviously alive. I hoped I could see him soon, before it was too late. I signed my name on the bottom with a swirl, then rolled up the parchment and handed it to the advisor. He had saddled Karnus and was waiting patiently for me.

He put the letter in his pocket and mounted up, allowing me one last farewell to Karnus before the two of them raced out of the stables and towards my old friend in Therinsford.


	26. A Guest At Garrow's

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

I began to saddle Miquien again after Karnus and the advisor were gone. Nyvern and Kallaheart had raised eyebrows as I did so, watching me with confused expressions on their faces.

"It'll be dark soon, and I have to get back home to make dinner for the men. I'll have to tell Brom that I rode to Therinsford today to sell my old horse, since my new one was given to me by an old friend that came to visit. He'll be overly suspicious, especially with the new weapons as well, but I think it'll be okay." I explained to them as I saddled Miquien, who stood meekly nearby. I didn't even glance up at the two boys during my constant stream of words as I saddled Miquien.

Nyvern and Kallaheart nodded as one, then glanced at one another with a smile. "Well then, I'm coming with you. Perhaps you could introduce me to Brom as your 'friend' who got you that mount. I'll just tell him I lived in Therinsford once upon a time, and that I came to visit. Do you think Roran and Garrow would mind if I stayed over tonight?" Kallaheart asked. I laughed and shook my head, making him smile.

He ran over to me and picked me up in his strong arms, hugging me tightly as he swung me around in circles. I laughed and tucked myself into his body so I didn't kick anything. When he finally set me down, I was a little dizzy.

"Well then, let's saddle up Kallaheart. Out of curiosity, will I still see you outside tonight Nyvern?" I asked him as Kallaheart went to saddle his mare. Nyvern smiled and gave me a gentler hug than Kallaheart had, but his was more loving than Kallaheart's playful nature tended to show.

"Of course you will; I'll be outside your farm when the moon rises, and I expect to see you and Kallaheart out there waiting for me." He said, hugging me to him tighter. I hugged him tightly back, not wanting to leave him. I'd never had such a deep connection with anybody, and if I stepped away I feared I would lose my closest brother.

Nyvern kissed my cheek softly before letting me go. Kallaheart had saddled Miquien as well as his own mount, and was sitting in his saddle while holding my horse's reigns. I climbed up agilely into my saddle with almost no effort and looked back down at Nyvern with sorrow, missing him already. I waved to him and he waved back before I turned my felsteed around and rode out of the stables with Kallaheart right behind me.

Kallaheart and I rode out of the front of the Main Hall and through the area where the coliseum was. We rode out of the entranceway through the main cave and down the stone ramps built into the side of the mountain until we reached the forest floor. When we did, Kallaheart and I both told our mounts "Keelva-Colvo" as they began to shift.

When our felsteeds had shifted, we were flying through the forest ten times faster than Karnus could ever dream of running, and we weren't even pushing our mounts in the slightest. Their breathing was even, and their natures were calm and focused. I glanced over at Kallaheart's mare felsteed and stifled my shock.

While the fire around my felsteed was mainly green with bits of black and darker green tinted into it at intervals, the fire around Kallaheart's cream-colored mare was chiefly a light blue with bits of light orange and darker blue in it. It coincided perfectly with the color of his horse's coat.

We were in sight of Garrow's farm within minutes, and when we neared the border of the trees we swerved and rode near its edge, changing our felsteeds back to normal horses with muttered words. After they had changed, we got down and shifted back into human form before mounting back up. Seeing Kallaheart as a human made me giggle; the bones in his werewolf hair were actually in his shaggy blond human hair as well. We rode further up in the trees before going out onto the road and riding down towards Garrow's farm.

As we made our way home, I noticed my armor had disappeared. Kallaheart explained that it disappeared until summoned upon by the one wearing it, and when you did it would appear on your body again. He gave me his impish smile as I noticed his was gone too, and I was able to see his tanned skin clearly.

We went into the stables and put our horses away, storing their tack outside their stall doors. Miquien was in Karnus' old stall, while Kallaheart's mare Lealic was in the stall next to his. Once they were put away, Kallaheart and I walked back to the house, talking quietly. I told him to try and act as a normal human would, and he playfully shoved my shoulder.

"Don't worry sis, I've been doing this job for years, remember?" he reminded me. I smiled and sighed in relief, relaxing as we made our way towards the house. As we walked in the front door, I stifled my shock with a look of mild surprise.

Sitting in a chair in the living room, was Brom.

I stepped inside with Kallaheart beside me, who was staring at Brom with an amused expression on his face.

"Thought she ran off or got hurt didn't you? She's not as fragile as she looks." Kallaheart commented rudely to Brom with a small smirk, not even saying hello. Brom stood silently from the chair he was sitting in and walked slowly our way, stopping about a foot in front of us.

"Just where have you been all afternoon? Did you forget completely about your lessons?" Brom asked me quietly, his eyes betraying nothing.

"Kallaheart showed up when I was on my way to your house Brom, and he had brought me a new horse. We had to ride to Therinsford to sell my old one, and it took extra time since I didn't want to be recognized by any of the townsfolk." I explained to Brom, or rather lied.

He stood there a moment to think about what I'd told him and finally sighed in relief, embracing me in a soft hug. "I was worried about you; I thought someone had picked you up off the road. You didn't have enough training to do much about that." He explained. I nodded, hugging him back softly. Kallaheart rolled his eyes behind Brom's back and I smiled, but didn't dare laugh or else Brom would know.

Brom let me go and then said "Tomorrow I expect you to show up on time for your lessons. Will your friend- Kallaheart isn't it? -be joining us?" he asked. I nodded to him without glancing at Kallaheart.

He nodded once in response and then bade us a quick farewell, claiming he wanted to be off of the road before night fell upon us. As he walked out the door, Kallaheart sighed in relief and flopped down on the sofa.

"I haven't even been here five minutes, and it's already more excitement than I can handle." He said. I grinned at him and began to finish up the dinner I had prepared earlier. As I was laying everything out on the table, Roran and Garrow came inside from a long day of work, not looking as tired as they had before.

When they saw Kallaheart sitting quietly on the sofa with a good book under his nose, Garrow turned to me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged to him as he and Roran began to wash up. As I began making plates for everyone, Kallaheart came to sit down but I pointed to the sink. He stuck his tongue out at me and went to wash his hands before he sat at the table in Eragon's usual spot.

As everyone ate it was completely quiet, except for the crickets cheeping outside and the scrape of forks on plates. I thought back to my first meal in this house and smiled to myself; it was exactly the same. After a moment though, Garrow finished chewing a piece of meat and asked "What's your name son?"

Kallaheart swallowed a piece of meat he'd just chewed before replying "I'm Kallaheart, a resident of Teirm. I once lived in Yazuac with Ayla, and went to visit her recently. When I found she wasn't there, I tracked her here and came to pay a friendly visit. I hope you don't mind the intrusion." He said, apologizing slightly.

Garrow waved the idea away "No, of course not. I hope you enjoy spending some time with Ayla." He then glanced over at me. "Did you speak with Brom? He showed up earlier looking for you."

I nodded to him. "Yes Garrow, I did. It was all worked out, and I'll continue my lessons tomorrow." I told him.

"Very good." He said, finishing the rest of the meal in silence. I raised an eyebrow in his direction that he didn't see; the way he had made his comment made it seem as though he encouraged my lessons instead of claiming to see no use in them. I shrugged to myself and continued to eat the delicious dinner I had begun that morning.

When everyone was done, I did the dishes and cleaned off the table while they all sat in the living room relaxing. I absentmindedly stroked the amethyst stone that hung around my neck, which hid the dark power within the amulet that Durza had given me.

When I joined them I realized everyone had something to work on. Garrow was fixing some of his tools while Roran polished them off, I had to study from the 'Domia abr Wyrda', and Kallaheart was reading one of the other books in the room, the bones in his hair clacking against each other softly whenever he turned a page.

For a while everything was peaceful and quiet. Once Garrow had finished repairing the tools, he helped Roran to clean and polish them before they both went to bed. Kallaheart finished reading and dog-eared his page, silently setting down his book so that he could watch me read.

"How many pages until you finish that chapter?" he asked me quietly. I didn't even have to look to know that answer.

"Four and a half pages" I told him quietly. He shifted his way of sitting and then picked me up around the waist, placing me in his lap so that he could hold me tight while reading over my shoulder. I leaned back comfortably into him as I finished reading, while he entertained himself by playing with my hair and reading small bits of the passage just before I turned the pages. He didn't say a word, but read and thought in silence.

When I was finished I sighed in happiness and dog-eared the page for chapter fourteen, closing my large book slowly. I leaned back into the comfort of Kallaheart's arms for a long moment before standing up and slowly stretching, breathing deeply to wake my body up after being so comfortable. Kallaheart did the same, taking my book from me and laying it on the couch behind him. Taking my small hand in his much larger one, he led me silently out the front door, closing it behind us.

We walked down the path a ways, deciding to sit nearer the shadow of the trees to look up at the moon. Kallaheart sat and pulled me down to sit between his legs, allowing me to lean back against his strong chest. Together we watched the moon, wonder filling our entire beings as we stared up at the symbol that represented our Mother Goddess, Hecate.

We sat there for a few minutes before we heard a twig snap faintly behind us. I lifted my nose to the wind and knew at once who it was.

"Don't try to be sneaky Nyvern; I could sense you a mile away." I told the darkness without glancing back. I heard a dramatic sigh as bushes rustled and Nyvern stepped out of them, surprisingly in human form. I raised an eyebrow at him and he simply shrugged, coming to sit beside Kallaheart and me.

For a while none of us spoke or moved, but simply breathed in silence as we stared up at the shining moon, which was just receding from being full. Only the tiniest sliver of glowing silver was missing from its round circle in the night sky. At one point, Nyvern glanced over at Kallaheart and I and we all stared back, a silver gleam hanging in all our eyes. I began to slowly smile as Kallaheart chuckled lowly.

We all slowly stood from where we were sitting, looking at each other with a secret glance in our eyes, one that humans wouldn't understand. We linked our hands together in a circle as our bodies began to change and distort upon will. We all welcomed the change, our bodies twisting in pleasure instead of pain, our muscles growing and reshaping in happiness and wanting. It took me until that moment to realize how much I had missed my true form in the past few hours.

The change was swift and effortless, and when it was all said and done there were three werewolves where three humans had once stood, their clawed hands interlinked and their heads raised up to the sky as they howled in pleasure and happiness before they took off swiftly into the welcoming darkness.


	27. A Dark Gift Emerging

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

As we ran, my thoughts were focused solely on my pack mates. Kallaheart: my big loving brother who was tough in a tight situation, but a cuddling teddy-bear when he was relaxed. His fun and playful nature made him that much easier to get along with. Nyvern was like the big brother that was calm and serious, flawless and commanding. The eldest in our small family is how I thought of him, along with the wisest. I knew I could always depend on his caring and loving nature.

As thoughts ran through my head faster than my four loping legs I considered how much humans wronged us for the beautiful creatures we truly were. They saw us as nothing more than vicious killers, always appearing on the dark side of the line. And what if we did? It was in our nature, but below all of that was a peace and beauty that most would never see.

As we ran in the cover of sweet darkness, I followed my two brothers under the boughs of the trees towards a destination they both seemed determined to reach. I ran after them, glad that I was finally able to stretch my long muscles and chase after my brothers, wondering what we were going to do first.

After about two hours of travelling through the woods we came to a shadowy clearing. The moon shone through the tree tops, but the stars in the night sky were veiled. I sniffed the air hesitantly, and noticed my brothers giving me a strange look.

"What's the matter Ayla?" Kallaheart asked me in a worried tone, sniffing the air with me. He obviously didn't smell anything strange as I did, for he still looked confused.

"Something about this place feels strange, and unnatural. I need to think about it for a moment." I told him, sitting down on my haunches in the soft grass under my paws.

Nyvern sat on his haunches at my side and whispered quietly to me "There's a reason we brought you here. This clearing has been known as a sacred ground to werewolves for centuries, and it allows them to delve inside of themselves and find the most powerful and natural part of their Dark Gift, the dark power that a werewolf possesses. If you concentrate, you may be able to find it within yourself and locate it. Focus Ayla." He patted my shoulder before standing up and taking a few steps back, watching me with those greenish-yellow eyes of his.

I began to breathe deeply, mentally counting to myself as I put my mind into a meditative pose. After a moment of concentration, a faint thought began to sliver through the air towards me, like a whisper on the wind.

There was the sound of an icy voice saying quietly to someone "Spread out; hide behind trees and bushes. Stop whoever is coming . . . or die." It was followed by the sound of much shuffling, and then it seemed that the wind howled around my furry form. I listened harder, and heard the sound of a man's fair voice crying in pain as he and his squealing horse were killed. It was quickly followed by the death of two more horses and another man. A cry of despair and some muttered curses in the fair voice of an elf maiden swiftly followed.

I listened harder, realizing that whatever I was hearing was happening _now_. There was a snapping sound like burning wood, and beneath that sound was that same icy voice, now held in triumph as it ordered "Get her".

I mentally froze. That voice… I recognized it, almost as though it were a part of me. I listened harder now, trying to pick up every small bit of sound I could from the wind. I listened to the sounds of heavy feet trudging towards something, and a soft whisper of frantic words from the elf maiden's fair voice. As she was whispering hurriedly, I heard the icy voice shout "Garjzla!" in a vain attempt. Too late; their was a ripple in the air and a yell of rage and fury was heard on the wind. The voice muttered dark curses in his own tongue, shooting nine bolts of power that made the air shimmer as they were casted and nine heavy bodies hit the forest floor. Dead bodies.

I heard the sound of a riding crop being smacked against flesh and the sound of hooves fleeing in the night as a familiar dark warhorse charged off with a rider on it's back, and probably a prisoner tied to its saddle. I listened for a moment longer before sighing and opening my eyes, letting my actual surroundings consume me again as I considered what I had heard.

Nyvern and Kallaheart were both holding a hand of mine in each of theirs, watching me with much concern. When I opened my eyes Kallaheart sighed in relief, but Nyvern kept a worried face.

"You were muttering something to yourself almost the entire time sister. Why is Durza so important to you?" he asked me quietly. When he saw the look of pain in my face he sighed and sat down on the forest floor beside me, pulling me into his arms and rocking me back and forth as one would for a small child. He held me for a while, allowing me to freely shed my tears into his furry shoulder as I silently cried for my loss.

When I had regained some semblance of composure, I sat up straight between Kallaheart and Nyvern. I wiped away a tear and took a deep breath before choosing to answer his question.

"Durza is a Shade, an evil sorcerer. I met him when I was five, and spent the ten years afterwards researching about him and hoping he would return so I could learn more, for he unintentionally caused me pain. He saved my life from a fire and a terrible home life, and in return I freed him from one of the dark spirits residing within him, using my magic. He gave me some money and a good horse and sent me on my way before the remaining spirits took control of him again. I just learned that the spirits have full control again, for he has murdered." I told them, wiping away one of my tears with a furry elbow.

"How do you know that he has murdered? Did you use a dark gift?" Nyvern asked me quietly. I nodded.

"I couldn't see them, but when I concentrated I could hear the sounds of their movements and the words spoken being carried on the wind. Its much like reading a book: you can't see the movements and the faces, but you can imagine them and the sounds that coincide." I tried to explain. He nodded slowly, glancing at Kallaheart who looked worried.

My big brother Kallaheart moved forward and captured a tear I had missed on the end of his finger and wiped it in the grass, watching me with sorrowful eyes. "You love him don't you?" he asked me softly.

I sighed in despair, but nodded all the same. Kallaheart pulled me into a hug and whispered "It's going to be okay Sis, you'll see. Perhaps you'll soon be able to save him from another spirit again when you next see him, so that he can be freed." He suggested. I grinned a little and nodded.

Kallaheart took a deep breath and then stood up with a lurch, saying in a dramatic and mighty voice "Well, let us not be disheartened by these dark thoughts. This is supposed to be a happy occasion! Ayla's first night on the hunt, under the full moon. It doesn't get much better than that." He added, winking to me. I laughed and felt the pain and sorrow fade away quickly as Kallaheart helped me to my feet, bowing dramatically to me as a man would to a lady at a court function of some sort.

I pulled Nyvern up after me and we all howled into the night sky, running through the forest and leaving our dark thoughts back in that sacred clearing in the middle of the mountains. I let that chilled feeling I got from my Dark Gift fade away in my mind as I focused solely on our hunt.

As we were running, I picked up the scent of a human not too far from us. The human was alone in the center of the forest, and still healthy. I crept between the trees, following the intoxicating scent of blood and life. I was blending perfectly with the dark forest as I peered from behind a large set of pine trees, looking down at a clearing.

A young man was crouching down there, hunting a herd of deer that were bedded down in the clearing. His back was towards me, and he had a bow strung and ready to fire with two more arrows in his left hand. I stared down at him for a long moment before shaking my head back and forth slowly, feeling the energy building in the air like lighting. The deer couldn't sense it, but I could. It was magic.

The air rippled to my magical vision, and as the boy took his shot in the darkness a bright blue light flared up into the center of the clearing, sending the deer bounding away on quick legs. The boy swore and spun around, bow in hand. There was a smoking blue stone lying in the center of the clearing, and the blast it had created had ripped the trees bare of their pine needles in a perfect circle around it.

The young man hesitantly touched the stone with an arrow and then jumped back. When nothing happened, he picked it up and studied it with wonder. I watched him for another long moment before sniffing in disdain to myself once and turning away from the boy in the clearing, going to find someone else to hunt. I would not kill Eragon tonight.

Nyvern and Kallaheart had stood by silently, watching without making a sound. When they saw that I would not take the kill, they took me further down through the Spine until we found a suitable group of humans who were brave enough to camp out in the wilderness. We snuck up on their tent in the darkness, and killed the two adults and teenager sharing a tent without any remorse. I felt a little bad at first, but knew that it could have been any of the nearby dark creatures that had wanted to use them as their supper.

We returned home in the darkest hours of the night with happy thoughts and bellies, which were slowly digesting the human flesh we had devoured. Nyvern bade us both farewell as he returned to our mountain home of 'Carluo Dieun'. We crept back inside and lied down on the couch, falling asleep side by side as the moon disappeared behind the clouds that swept across the sky.


	28. Council Of The Holy Quarter

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

As dawn rose in the pink morning sky I opened one eye slowly, allowing myself the luxury of waking up into a bright new morning without rushing. Kallaheart was still asleep on my other side, a pillow snuggled tightly in his arms as he muttered to himself, his bones occasionally clacking against one another in his hair as he rolled over in his sleep. I giggled quietly to myself as I got up off of the couch and got ready for the day.

I dressed in the third outfit I had bought, which consisted of a leather top that was of a deep woodsy brown and came down in varied patterns of designs with an opening in the middle of it where leather bands had been put in an intricate pattern. The sides were laced up with very thin leather strips, and I had leather gloves of the same color that were thickest on the backs of my hands to match it all. It made me feel pleased with the body I had, allowing me to show off smooth skin on my sides and give me confidence.

I opened the front door of the house and let the dawn light creep into the main room, also using the cool air to lower the temperature in the front room a bit so that it was more comfortable. I opened the small shuttered windows above the kitchen counter-top and began to prepare a breakfast of sweet cinnamon bread with maple syrup from the surrounding woods, all with a large platter of crunchy bacon on the side. The smell from the bacon and syrup roused the boys quickly from their beds and had them eagerly awaiting the food to be placed on the table.

I finished cooking quickly and set out the plates and utensils, putting the large platters of food on the table so that the boys could dig in. I nibbled quietly on a piece of cinnamon bread as I watched them eat in silence, wolfing down the food as if it were the last meal they would ever eat.

When they were full, Roran and Garrow went out to the fields to work and Kallaheart went over to sit on the couch with another good book under his nose. I cleaned the dishes and put them away wiping off the counter and table as I watched my big brother concentrate on his book. I put down the cloth I was cleaning with and walked over into the living room, sitting beside him on the couch as he marked his page and turned to me.

"Hey Kally, what's your dark gift?" I asked him. He looked surprised by my question for a moment, but then relaxed.

He gave me a goofy smile and said "Since I'm so old, I have a lot of Dark Gifts. Are you wanting to know what my first one was?" he asked me. I nodded, my eyes alight.

He scratched his chin in thought for a moment and said "I got my first Dark Gift in that clearing as you did, following the sacred traditions of the werewolf. I sat in concentration, and was able to see something like a large set of crossroads in my mind. It showed me that the road I was on would lead to much jealousy and hatred, and possibly causing me to do a great many terrible things. However, the crossroads showed me all the ways I could turn from that path to lead a different life. If I sit quietly and concentrate, I can again see those roads so I know where I'm going in my heart and mind, and how to change it if I need to. My paths of life are practically never-ending." He explained quietly, a dream-like quality coating his words.

"That's incredible Kally." I whispered to him. He looked down at me with a small sweet smile for a long moment.

"Yeah, I know." He whispered back. Then he straightened up a little and said in a louder voice closer to his usual booming tone, "Well, at least it helps keep me sane Little Sister. Now then, how about we go visit our big brother Nyvern for a while?" he suggested. I nodded eagerly and pumped my fist in the air, running towards the door with Kallaheart in tow.

As we were walking down the dirt path between the stables and the house, he asked me "So, why have you started calling my Kally? Is my warrior name just too tough for you to say?" he asked me teasingly. I playfully shoved his shoulder as I shook my head.

"No, I just think it fits your silly self better than the fierce name of _Kallaheart_." I said, laughing. Kally laughed with me and mussed with my hair playfully before saying over his shoulder that he'd beat me to the stables.

I laughed and chased after him, catching up just as we reached the barn door. We considered it a tie and saddled our fierce horses, mounting up within a few minutes. We charged out the barn door and straight into the forest, only changing our mounts once we knew we were out of sight from any nearby humans. Our steeds transformed into fierce felsteeds and sped through the forest at lightning speed, taking a very short time to reach 'Carluo Dieun'.

As we rode up to the front side of the mountain, many curious eyes watched us. We rode up the path on the side of the mountain and entered through the main cave, entering the Main Hall and looking around in wonder.

I got down off of my flaming horse and held onto his reigns tightly. As a lesser noble was passing us, I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Pardon me, but do you know where we might find Chief Nyvern?" I asked the lesser noble. He nodded and pointed in the direction of the Holy Quarter as he replied.

"He's speaking with the nine high leaders of the Holy Quarter right now I believe. When you reach the main door of the Quarter, the guards will direct you in where to go." He answered. I patted his shoulder and thanked him, allowing him to continue on his way as I got back up on my flaming felsteed.

We rode to the gate of the Holy Quarter and asked the guards where the nine leaders of the Quarter were meeting with Nyvern. They directed us to the back side of the main temple, where there was a large and luscious garden with fountains in its four corners. In the center of the garden was a large marble table with ten chairs surrounding it, and the two chairs on the end seemed to hold more important than the eight in between.

Nyvern was sitting in one of the end chairs, but the other chair was strangely empty. He was speaking quietly with one of the servants at his side, who quickly scurried away under orders from the King. Nyvern sighed and put his head in his hands for a moment before either hearing or sensing something above the sound of the other eight members speaking to one another.

Nyvern glanced up and saw Kallaheart and I riding around the building at a graceful walk on our sleek felsteeds, smiles on our faces. Nyvern smiled in joyous surprise and said "Ayla! Kallaheart! It's wonderful to see you; come join me at the meeting table." He said, waving his arm in a welcoming motion. We rode closer and then got down off of our mounts, handing them to a pair of werewolves that were waiting at our sides.

Nyvern stood as we approached and gave us both very warm hugs, lingering as he hugged me. He introduced me to the eight members sitting at the table, but the names flew by with the faces as though they didn't exist. My eyes were constantly drawn to the empty chair at the end of the table, as if some force were pulling me there. One of the eight members noticed my stare.

"That's the seat reserved for the ninth member of our leadership board; Hecate herself. She rarely attends meetings, but we save a seat anyways just in case she has something to say. That seat has been empty for a long time now." He said, eyeing the chair with a little mistrust.

"She has her reasons for not attending I'm sure." I told him, trying to lift his spirit a bit. He scowled but didn't argue any further.

My eyes were still drawn to the chair, and I unknowingly began to walk towards it. As I got near, a feeling in my gut grew stronger and I began to realize what it was.

"Mother." I whispered, tears stinging my eyes as I saw her nearly-invisible spectral form sitting in the seat. She smiled up at me and stood, wrapping me in a spectral hug that I could feel in my bones and flesh.

"They can't see or hear me as you can Ayla, though my most devoted believers still sense my presence as you do. Our councils have become slightly corrupt in the choosing of the most devoted followers to lead them." She admitted, glancing at the man that had told me about Hecate's reserved seat on the council with a scowl.

I smiled in spite of myself. Hecate motioned for me to go join my brothers again as she sat down gracefully in her chair and watched the proceedings with interest. I smiled at her once more and joined Nyvern and Kallaheart as the council declared they had more issues to resolve. I told the boys that I'd rather spend some time inside of the sanctuary, and they agreed to come find me when it was time.


	29. Befriend a Priestess, Question a Goddess

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

A dedicate brought my horse back out to me, still saddled and ready to ride. I hopped up onto Miquien's back and rode off at a canter around the large temple, going towards the front and tying my horse to a rail designed for mounts. I walked inside of the sanctuary and found a shadowy corner where I could lie on my back in peace and quiet and think.

After a time, I heard a gentle voice asking me "Excuse me, do you mind if I join you? It's a bit darker over here, and much quieter than the rest of the temple." I glanced up to see the soft face of a female werewolf in human form with a strange relic resting in her hands. I considered her question for a moment before smiling relaxedly and nodding to her.

"The grass here is very soft and cool, and it should be easier for you to concentrate here." I offered. She smiled and sat beside me, tossing the small glass globe back and forth from hand to hand.

"What is that?" I asked her. She glanced down at the relic in some surprise before smiling to herself.

"It's a channeling orb. When I need to clear my mind or organise my thoughts, I use this to delve inside myself and focus on the problems that need fixing. It's a much deeper type of meditation that also strengthens my spells and adds meaning to my blessings." She explained to me, showing me the orb.

"It looks so fragile." I commented. She shook her head with a smile.

"Nope, it's tougher than steel. I could drop this thing a million times and it wouldn't get a single scratch on it." She boasted. I smiled, clearly impressed.

"So, what's your name?" I asked her. She smiled shyly and held out a hand for me to shake, embarrassed that she didn't introduce herself right away.

"I'm Sylvicma, one of the priestesses in the Lower Council of Sight and Wisdom. Most of the other members think they made a mistake when I wad chosen; I have no real wisdom, and my gift of the Sight is weak even when I focus my power and energy into it." She confided in me, hanging her head in shame.

I gave her a small smile, saying "You're still just a pup in this world Sylvicma, and it takes time and practice to become a master at such a difficult skill. Have patience and your prayers will be answered. A little faith couldn't hurt either." I commented, winking at her. She laughed and relaxed, smiling at me as she cheered up.

"I better get to organizing my thoughts then, otherwise this will take a long time." She said, sitting cross-legged in the grass a few feet away from me. I smiled and lied down on my back with my eyes closed, simply clearing my mind and focusing on the sounds from the world around me.

I slowly began to clear my mind of the sounds in the rooms around me and focused on the wind entering the large temple, carrying voices from far away places. As I listened, I could hear a faint whisper of sound coming from far off. I listened and was surprised to hear Garrow and Roran speaking to one another out on the field.

"I went back to the house for another tool and noticed that Ayla and her friend were missing. Do you know where they went father?" Roran asked Garrow. I heard Garrow sigh and scratch the back of his head.

"Its their business where they are and what they're doing. They probably went out for a ride on those new horses of theirs; Ayla seemed very excited about them." He suggested. Roran grunted in agreement and silence descended upon the two men as they continued their work in the fields. I smiled to myself and allowed my senses to drift with the wind, listening to the world as it breathed.

As I drifted on the wind in spirit, I heard a different kind of sound. It was the sound of heavy boots marching down a small hallway. I heard a creaky door swing open and something heavy thrown beyond it. The door slammed closed with a strange metallic ringing quality to it, and I realized the door was made of metal. A cell door.

There was then silence for a long moment, until you heard a cold voice whisper "Very soon you shall tell me where the egg is Princess, you'll see." The icy voice whispered menacingly. A female voice whimpered slightly, but didn't respond. The sound of light feet stalking away was heard, and then there was again silence. I quickly retreated from my voice on the wind and back into my own body.

So, the elf maiden that Durza captured is still alive, but why would he be asking her about an egg? What was so special about it? I pondered this as I lied in the soft grass, weighing thoughts in my head.

After a while of lying there, I decided I would go up into the spirit realm and visit my mother Hecate again, since I had the ability. Perhaps I would find the answers I was seeking up there faster than I would down here. I decided to try it out and let my spirit float away from my body, towards the sky. Once again, my real arm held my spirit self by the ankle, refusing to let me go. I yanked myself free and soared up into the clouds, as light as a feather.

Once again, I entered through the ancient stone archway into the room of grass with the white marble fountain in its center. The lounge chair was still sitting beside the fountain, and mother was laying in it just as she had been before. I bounded towards her across the grassy floor, calling "Mother, I'm back mother!"

She glanced up at me from the book she held in her hands and smiled, closing it and setting it on the floor. She stood from her chair and opened her arms to me, allowing me to embrace her. I laughed like a small child and released her, running around the fountain as she ran after me, laughing in her soft and soothing voice. For a while we just ran and played around the fountain, mother and daughter were oblivious to the rest of the world.

After a time, we were laying in the grass on our backs and looking up through the shifting purples mists above us at the stars in the night sky, just thinking together. I rolled onto my side and looked at my mom, who looked so at peace in this green room with her white robes and white hair tumbling over her shoulders. A light purple and blue aura surrounded her wherever she went, and her bare feet were grass-stained.

"Mom, why is it I love Durza so differently from the brotherly love I have for Nyvern and Kallaheart?" I asked her. She glanced over at me with surprised eyes.

"I thought you would have guessed that already. You fell in love with Durza while you were still mostly human, and your heart was meant to connect with his. Besides, he isn't a brother to you; your love goes too deep for that to be possible. Don't you see? He is and always will be important to you Ayla." She told me quietly.

"What if I'm not strong enough to cure him, and what if I die instead? What do I do then Mom?" I asked her. She looked unsure for a moment, then sighed.

You'll just have to hope and practice my dearest. Practice your Dark Gift and expand it to broader horizons. Practice sword work and healing and learn all that you can with the time that is given to you. You will leave for your journey in less than two months, and it will be a journey for the survival of more than just you and your companions. The whole world is resting on your shoulders now Ayla. Its up to the Greater Gods what happens next." She said, glancing up at the stars.

"The Greater Gods?" I asked her, puzzled. "I thought you were the only God?" I asked, confused. She laughed a pealing laugh, her gentle chime spreading through-out the room.

"Oh Sweet One, of course not! I'm one of the lesser Gods, the Goddess of Werewolves. There are many Gods and Goddesses higher up above me. I have the most power concerning our race, but over-all I am still a Lesser Goddess." she told me a bit sheepishly. I grinned at her.

She stopped for a moment and seemed to be watching something from far away for a moment before her attention snapped back to me. "You need to go now my dearest one; Kallaheart and Nyvern will soon come looking for you." She told me.

I nodded and got up off of the soft grass. Hecate joined me and guided me back to the fountain, where she picked up the book she had been reading and looked at it. She muttered a few words and passed her hand over it, and the book changed in her palm. It was now slightly thicker, and it had changed from a red book to and orange one. She handed to me and pushed me towards the archway.

Clutching the book tightly, I waved goodbye to my mother before walking through the stone archway and zipping through the clouds and back to my body.


	30. People and Plant Lessons

**Chapter Thirty**

As I merged with my body, the first thing I noticed was that the tickling sensation had returned and I giggled to myself. I sat up and opened my eyes, looking around the room for Kallaheart and Nyvern. Not seeing them, I sat cross-legged and looked at the book that was clutched tightly in my left hand. I looked at the front cover and saw that it was unmarked.

I opened to the first page and found a Contents page, which showed the different chapters of the book. Each chapter appeared to be a name, and a subtitle under those names said which God or Goddess they were. The last few chapters were dedicated to rules, history, and procedures.

I smiled to myself. Mother sure knew how to give information when there wasn't enough time for it. I glanced over at Sylvicma to see her in deep concentration, her forehead creased with thought.

I rested a hand on her forehead and she opened her eyes, glancing over at me in confusion.

"You're thinking about it too much; just relax. Let yourself flow into the orb and sort your mind inside of it instead of trying to draw the energy out of the orb." I told her. She nodded and slowly began to let herself go into the orb, and as she did she began to relax. I smiled and glanced over at the doorway just as Kallaheart and Nyvern stepped into the opening, looking around the large room for me. Kallaheart spotted me first and started coming my way.

I stood as they came near, smiling at the two of them. Nyvern gave me another hug, obviously overly fond of them. Kally gave me a hug too, and as he did he picked me up and swung me around. I laughed and hugged him tightly before he put me down. Sylvicma glanced up from her mind-clearing and smiled at the two boys.

"Nyvern, Kally, this is Sylvicma, a young priestess and my friend. Sylvie, these are my brothers Kallaheart and Nyvern." I introduced them all. They smiled and nodded to each other, but didn't shake hands. I shrugged to myself and turned to the boys.

"Kally and I need to head back to Garrow's farm. They noticed we were missing, and are assuming we're out riding the new horses. That can only last for so long though, so we better head back." I told them. Kally and Nyvern nodded to me, following me outside as I waved farewell to Sylvie.

Nyvern boosted me into my saddle and handed me the reigns, patting my hand as he stepped away from my flaming charger. Kally was on his felsteed beside mine. With a smile at Nyvern, I kicked my horse in the sides so that he reared dramatically. Kally's mount did the same before they both went charging down the bridge that spanned over the side of the lake's water and onto the main road towards the outer gates of the City.

Kally and I quickly mad our way back home, changing our mounts back to normal as we neared the farm. We came riding out of the trees and into the barn faster than most other horses could ever dream of running. Laughing, I pulled my horse to a halt and hopped off of his back, tying him in his stall as I took the rest of his tack off.

Just as I'd finished unsaddling Miquien, Roran came walking into the barn. When he saw us there, he grinned.

"I had wondered where you two had gone off to. Take a ride on the new horses?" he asked, glancing at our ordinary-looking mounts with some amusement.

I smiled and nodded to him, patting my horses side affectionately. "He flies like a dream Roran, you should have seen him go!" I told him. Roran laughed and said no more, getting back to his chores.

Kally and I glanced at each other and giggled quietly, walking back up to the house so that I could begin to prepare lunch for the boys and I. Once it was ready, I prepared a decent dinner and put it in the oven to keep it good and warm all day.

Once the meals were prepared for the day, I sat on the couch and studied from the 'Domia abr Wyrda'. Noon rolled around swiftly, and soon Garrow and Roran were trudging in to wash their hands and eat a hasty lunch, saying they wanted to get most of the corn stored in the root cellar by the end of the day.

Once they had gone into the fields again, I donned my weapons and led Kallaheart back out to the barn. We saddled our horses and hopped onto their backs, ready to head for Brom's house. Miquien saw the weapons on my back and around my waist and had been excited by the prospect of battle, rearing as he waited for us to take off. I calmed him down and charged onto the main road with Kallaheart as we made our way to Brom's house.

We decided not to risk changing our mounts into their extended forms, deciding to play it safe in case we met anyone else on the road. Even in our mounts' normal state of being, we made good time and were soon riding through Carvahall's streets. Kallaheart looked around with curiosity and wonder lighting up his eyes; he'd never actually been to Carvahall.

I led the way to Brom's house at a soft trot, going around the side and stopping at his back gate. I opened the gate door and rode through on Miquien with Kallaheart and Lealic following closely behind us. The gate closed with a soft _click_ behind us.

I hopped down off of Miquien's back and began to unsaddle him. Kallaheart swiftly followed my lead, stowing his gear next to mine. Once my gear was safely stored under the apple tree in the back, I approached Miquien and whispered softly to him "Be careful back here; it appears safe but I want you on your guard. Don't let anyone come in through that gate except Kally, Brom, or me. If they do get in, make sure they don't get any of our stuff and chase them out. Wait for me; it'll be a while. Stay safe Miquien." I murmured quietly, kissing my horse's nose.

Miquien preened slightly and then took up a guard stance at my side, watching the gate with an untrustworthy eye. I laughed and patted his side, saying "You silly fool. Call for me if something happens." I told him. My horse looked at me with those overly intelligent eyes of his and nodded slowly, then glanced back at the gate. I patted his side softly and led Kallaheart into Brom's home.

Brom was seated in his large chair in front of the fire, blowing smoke rings with his pipe. Laid out in front of him on the small table was a book that was open to a page with a very detailed drawing of a group of plants. I sat in my chair and Kallaheart sat on the stool that Brom had fished up from somewhere, staring at the book in curiosity. For the next few hours, Brom taught me the uses and effects from different weeds, flowers, and plants.

Once the lesson was over, my muscles were cramped from sitting so long and my head was brimming with stored knowledge. I mentally committed it all to my permanent memory, easily answering all of Brom's questions correctly when he quizzed me on it afterwards. Once I had answered his questions, he put down his pipe and stood from his chair.

"Well Ayla, since you seem to be such an expert in the plants I've shown you, why don't we give you a real test?" he suggested. I nodded to him with a smile.

Brom led Kallaheart and I outside, where he had many different plants in a small garden on the side of his house. I identified each plant in the garden and also told Brom of their uses. I was surprised to see that a few of the plants Brom grew in his seemingly-peaceful garden were among the more deadly poisons in the world. Brom was pleased with my results, though he didn't show it. He gave me a small smile and grunted in acknowledgement before going back inside for his swords.


End file.
